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BOSTOM  O'.^LLfcGE  LIP^*'- 
GHfcSTNUT  HILL.  ^AA^ 


COPYRIGHT   1905   BY    CHARLES  JOHNSTON   AND   CARITA  SPENCER 

All  rights  reserved 


Published  March,  rgoj 


44471 


PREFACE 

"Ireland's  Story"  has  been  written  not  as  a  record 
of  the  dead  past,  but  as  a  beacon  for  the  living  future. 
It  is  inspired  by  a  belief  in  the  Irish  race,  now  spread 
far  beyond  its  island  home,  through  many  lands,  beneath 
many  skies.  The  Irish  race  has  a  great  part  to  play  in 
the  history  of  the  future  ;  and  present  and  future  can 
be  understood  only  by  a  knowledge  of  the  past. 

The  story  of  Ireland  may  be  viewed  in  many  ways. 
First,  as  a  part  of  universal  history  :  its  ancient  tradi- 
tions are  rich  and  full  of  clues  to  the  races  of  the  early 
world  ;  its  archaic  treasures  are  abundant ;  its  old  stone 
monuments  wonderfully  preserved.  In  illumining  the 
shadowy  dawn  of  early  Europe,  and  especially  of  those 
northern  lands  whose  children  now  lead  the  world,  no 
country  can  aid  us  so  much  as  Ireland. 

Then  we  must  reckon  Ireland's  early  heroic  poems 
and  tales,  ampler  than  those  of  any  European  land,  save 
only  Greece  and  Italy,  and  giving  us  the  truest  and 
richest  picture  of  the  archaic  life  of  Europe,  still  un- 
touched by  Greece  and  Rome.  The  great  personages 
of  the  Irish  epics  stand  out  as  clear  as  the  heroic  figures 
who  fought  around  Troy,  or  the  inspired  leaders  of 
Attica  and  Sparta  and  the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills. 

Next  comes  Ireland's  part  in  the  Drama  of  Faith. 
Ireland  may  well  be  called  the  new  Ark  of  the  Cove- 
nant ;  for  in  the  little  western  isle  was  stored  up  the 
treasure  of  the  Gospel,  brought  thither  first  by  Patrick. 


IV  PREFACE 

Preserved  miraculously  from  the  barbarian  raids  which  ' 

swept  away  the  Roman  Empire  and  covered  Europe 
with  heathen  conquerors,  this  treasure  was  presently 
brought  forth  and  carried  abroad,  first  to  Great  Britain, 
then  to  Belgium  and  France,  Switzerland,  Germany  and 
Austria,  Italy  and  Spain,  and  even  to  the  twilight  con- 
fines of  Norway  and  Iceland.  Beautiful  illuminated 
manuscripts  from  Ireland  rekindled  the  learning  of 
Europe,  after  the  barbarian  conquest  of  the  Goths  and 
Vandals,  Angles  and  Franks. 

From  the  following  epochs  of  Ireland's  story,  there 
are  many  lessons  to  be  learned,  but  the  best  of  them  is 
this  :  that  in  the  life  of  nations  there  works  a  providen- 
tial destiny,  not  only  in  prosperity  but  in  adversity,  and 
perhaps  most  of  all  in  adversity ;  that  in  Ireland's  life 
this  Providence,  working  through  conquest,  oppression, 
and  misery,  has  miraculously  preserved  the  pure  spirit 
of  the  race  in  its  pristine  unworldliness  and  faith,  its 
belief  in  holiness  and  in  the  spiritual  world  ;  and  that 
this  spirit  so  preserved,  and  now  dispersed  through 
many  lands,  is  to-day  one  of  the  great  treasures  of 
humanity. 

Every  reader  of  Irish  race  will  find  here  a  tale  to 
make  him  proud  of  his  parentage  and  his  inheritance ; 
a  tale  of  valor  and  endurance ;  a  tale  of  genius  and  in- 
spiration ;  a  tale  of  self-sacrifice  and  faith.  Such  a  one, 
thus  looking  back  proudly  to  a  worthy  and  noble  past, 
may  look  forward  with  hope  for  the  future,  and  with 
a  sense  of  consecration  for  the  spiritual  destiny  of  the 
Irish  race. 

THE   AUTHORS. 

New  York,  February  i,  1905. 


CONTENTS 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 


The  Legendary  Races,     b.  c.  2000?   ,     .     . 
The  Milesians,    b.  c.  i7oo?-b.  c.  iooo?    .     . 
Legendary   Story  of   Emain   of   Maca.    b 
;o?-A.  D.  qo? 


45< 


27 
34 
41 
47 
5S 
66 
78 
87 
96 
108 
124 


Political  Growth,    a.  d.  50-A.  d.  266     .    . 
King  Cormac  and  Ossin.    a.  d.  254-293 
Introduction  of  Christianity,    a.  d.  432 
Fulfilment  of  Patrick's  Mission,   a.  d.  432-525 
The  Saints  and  Scholars,    a.  d.  500-795  . 
The  Raids  of  the  Norsemen.     795-1014  . 
The  Missions  to  Foreign  Lands.     500-1100 
From  Norsemen  to  Normans.     1015-1169 
The  Coming  of  the  Normans.     J169-1199 
Consolidation  of  Norman  Power.     1199-1318 
Norman  Raids  to  English  Rule.     1318-1485 
Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Geraldines.     1485-1537  139 
The  Reformation,  and  Confiscation  of  Church 

Property,     i  534-1 582 150 

Close  of  the  Tudor  Period,     i  583-1 603  .     .     .164 
The  Plantation  of  Ulster.     1603- i  641    .    .     .178 

The  Irish  Rebellion.     1641-1649 189 

Cromwell  and  the  Restoration.     1649-1688   .  201 

The  Jacobite  Wars.     1688-1691 213 

Treaty  of  Limerick,     i 690-1 693 225 

The  Penal  Laws,     i 693-1 782     .......  239 

Struggle  between  the  English  and  Irish  Par- 
liaments.    169S-1783 253 


vi  CONTENTS 

XXV.   The  Irish  Rebellion.     1798 269 

XXVI.   Legislative  Union  with  England.     1800-1801  283 
XXVII.   Catholic  Emancipation.     1801-1829    ....  293 
XXVIII.   From    Emancipation   to   the   Famine.     1829- 

1847 303 

XXIX.   The    Fenians  and   Disestablishment.     1848- 

1869 313 

XXX.   The  Land  Restored  to   the   People.     1869- 

1903 324 

XXXI.   The  Irish  on  the  Continent 339 

XXXII.   The  Irish  in  America 348 

XXXIII.  The  Irish  in  the  British  Empire 360 

XXX IV.  The  Irish  Literary  Revival 370 

APPENDIX 

Some  Irish  Surnames 380 

Index,  and  Guide  to  the  Maps 391 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


'  PAGH 

Glendalough.     From  a  photograph Frontispiece 

Pyramid  at  Newgrange.     From  Fergusson's  Rude  Stone 

Mo?tuments 4 

Plan   of  the  Chamber  in   the   Newgrange  Pyramid. 

From  Fergusson's  Rnde  Stone  Monuments 5 

Cromlech  at  Carrowmore 6 

Skeleton  of  the  Great  Irish  Elk 12 

Loosely  Twisted  Torque  of  Gold 15 

Ancient  Irish  Bronze  Cauldron.     From  Wilde's   Cata- 
logue of  Antiquities 16 

Ancient   Irish   Sword  and  Spear- head.     From  Wilde's 

Catalogue 23 

Plan  of  Tara,  based  on  that  in  Wakeman's  Handbook  '    .     31 
The  Hill  of  Tara.    From  a  drawing  by  Wakeman  in  Hall's 

Ireland 35 

Spear-head.     From  Wilde's  Catalogue 39 

Shrine  of  St.  Patrick's  Bell.    From  Stokes's  Early  Chris- 
tian Art  in  Ireland 48 

Bell  of   St.    Patrick.     From   Stokes's    Early   Christian 

Architexture  in  Irela7id 51 

High    Cross    of    Monasterboice.     Yxom  Stokes's  Early 

Christian  Art  in  Ireland 55 

Ruins  on  Devenish  Island.     From  a  photograph      ...     57 
St.  Kevin's  House,  Glendalough.     From  Petrie's  Eccle- 
siastical Architecture  in  Ireland .59 

Ancient  Danish  Boat.    From  Engelhardt's  Denmark  in  the 

Early  Iron  Age 6"] 

The  Chalice  of  Ardagh.     From  Stokes's  Early  Christian 

Art  in  Ireland 68 

Castle  at  Waterford.     From  HalVs  Ireland 71 

Danish  Weapons.     From  Meynck's  A ntient  A rwo7ir    .     .     73 
Ancient  Irish  Harp,  said  to  have  belonged  to  Brian 

BoRU.     From  Hall's  Ireland 75 

Scribe  at  Work  on  the  Book  of  Kildare.     From  Gil- 
bert's Facsimiles  of  the  Natiotial  Manuscripts  of  Ireland    .     81 


viii  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page  from  the  Book  of  Kells.  From  Gilbert's  Facsimiles 
of  the  Natio7ial  Mamcscripts 85 

The  Rock  of  Cashel.     From  a  photograph 90 

CoRMAc's  Crosier.  From  Petrie's  Ecclesiastical  Archi- 
tecture      9^ 

Cross  of  Cong.  From  Stokes's  Early  Christia?i  Art  in 
Ireland 93 

Norman  Knight  and  Foot-Soldier.  From  Grose's  Mili- 
tary Antiquities 99 

DuNDRUM  Castle.  From  the  Royal  Historical  and  Archce- 
ological  Society  Journal  for  1883-84 1 04 

Tower  of  London.     From  Bayley's  Tower  of  Londojt    .     .  109 

King  John's  Castle,  Limerick.     From  Dolby's /r^/^«^   .  119 

Holycross  Abbey.     From  a  photograph 121 

Relief  of  Henry  IPs  Army.  From  Gilbert's  Facsimiles 
of  the  National  Manuscripts 131 

Art  MacMurrogh  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester.  From 
GWheri's  Facsimiles  of  the  National  Manuscripts  .     .     .     .133 

Costume  of  the  Native  Irish  of  the  Fifteenth 
Century.  From  the  Kilke?tny  Historical  Society  Transac- 
tions, 1860-61 1 36 

Armorial  Bearings  of  the  Earls  of  Kildare.  From 
Will's  Irish  Nation 143 

Armorial  Bearings  of  the  Earls  of  Ormond.  From 
Will's  Irish  Nation 144 

Irish  Knights  and  Attendants.  From  a  drawing  by 
Albrecht  Diirer 147 

Shane  O'Neill's  Autograph.  From  the  Ulster  Journal  of 
Archceology,  18^4 155 

Irish  Soldier  of  1582.  From  Gilbert's  Facsi^niles  of  the 
National  Manuscripts .   156 

Hugh  O'Neill,  Earl  of  Tyrone.  From  Will's  Irish 
Nation 166 

Capture  of  Blackwater  Fort  in  1597.  From  Gilbert's 
Facsijniles  of  the  A^ational  Manuscripts 167 

Siege  of  Dunboy.     From  \\\e  Pacata  Hiberrtia 175 

James  I.  From  Paul  Van  Somer's  painting  in  the  National 
Portrait  Gallery 178 

Settlers'  Houses  in  the  Ulster  Plantation.  From 
GWhtri's  Facsimiles  of  the  National  Manuscripts    .     .     .     .182 

The  Earl  of  Stafford  going  to  Execution.  From 
a  painting  owned  by  the  Duke  of  Sutherland 187 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  ix 

Owen  Roe  O'Neill.  From  a  portrait  on  wood  reproduced 
in  the  Ulster  Journal^  i8j6 190 

Charlemont  Fort.  From  Royal  Historical  and  ArchcEo- 
logical  Society  Journal,  188^-84 191 

Carrickfergus  Castle.    From  the  Ulster  Jotcrnal,  i8g^-g6  195 

James  Butler,  Duke  of  Ormond.  From  Wright's  His- 
tory of  Ireland 198 

Limerick  in  Charles  IPs  Time.  From  Kilkejmy  Trans- 
actions, 1864-66 205 

Cathedral  at  Londonderry.    From  Colby's  Lo?idonderry  216 

The  Town  House  at  Londonderry.  From  Colby's  Lon- 
do?iderry 218 

William  at  the  Battle  of  the  Boyne.  From  Wright's 
History  of  Irelatid 221 

Patrick  Sarsfield.  From  an  old  engraving  in  Gilbert's 
facobite  Narrative 226 

Richard  Talbot,  Earl  AND  Duke  of  Tyrconnell.  From 
the  Ulster  foiirnal,  1837 229 

Castle  of  Athlone.     From  Hall's  Ireland 231 

Limerick  to-day.     From  a  photograph 234 

James  Butler,  Second  Duke  of  Ormond.  From  Wright's 
History  of  Ireland, 242 

Jonathan  Swift 256 

Henry  Grattan.  From  a  portrait  reproduced  in  Roxby's 
Henry  Grattan 258 

Henry  Flood.  From  a  miniature  portrait  in  Original  Letters 
to  Henry  Flood 259 

Edmund  Burke.  After  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds's  portrait  in 
Lodge's  Gallery  of  Portraits 261 

Presbyterian  Meeting-house  at  Dungannon.  From 
an  engraving  in  the  Anthologia  Hibernia 265 

Badge  of  the  Down  Volunteers 267 

Theobald  Wolfe  Tone.  From  the  Autobiography  of 
T.  W.  Tone 273 

William  Pitt,  the  Younger.  Drawn  by  Copley.  From 
Lord  Stanhope's  Life  of  Willia7n  Pitt 283 

Daniel  O'Connell.  From  a  portrait  painted  for  the  former 
Catholic  Association  in  Wright's  History  of  Ireland  .     .     .  288 

Irish  Parliament  House,  Dublin,  in  1800.  From  Mc- 
Gregor's Picture  of  Dublin 289 

Richard  Lalor  Sheil.     Yxova  Sketches  of  the  Irish  Bar    .  298 


X  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Maynooth  College  in  1821.     From  Warburton's  Dublin    .  303 
O'CoNNELL   Monument  at   Glasnevin.     From   a   photo- 
graph  309 

Sir    Robert    Peel.      From    a    painting    by    Sir   Thomas 

Lawrence 313 

St.   Patrick's    Cathedral   in    181 7.     From   Warburton's 

Dublin 321 

Charles  Stewart  Parnell.     From  a  photograph     .     .     .  325 
William  Ewart   Gladstone.     From  a  photograph  (1884) 

by  John  Moffat 327 

Arthur  J.  Balfour.     From  a  photograph 331 

Marshal   MacMahon   on   Horseback.     P>om   a  photo- 
graph   342 

Anthony  Wayne.     From  the  National  Portrait  Gallery  .     .  350 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly.     From  a  photograph 357 

Arthur  Wellesley,  Duke   of  Wellington.     From  the 

painting  by  John  Lucas  in  the  National  Gallery,  Dublin      .  361 
Frederick,  Lord  Roberts.     From  a  photograph  ....  363 
Oliver  Goldsmith.     From  a  painting  in  the  National  Por- 
trait Gallery 371 

Thomas  Moore.     From  a  painting  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  374 


Note: — The  illustrations  from  Gilbert's  Facsimiles  of 
the  National  Manuscripts  and  Margaret  Stokes's  Eat'ly 
Christian  Art  in  Ireland  are  used  by  permission  of  the 
Controller  of  His  Majesty's  Stationery  Offices,  those  from 
Fergusson's  Rude  Stone  Mo7iuments  bv  permission  of 
Mr.  John  Murray.  The  publishers  also  wish  to  acknow- 
ledge the  kindness  of  Messrs.  McCaw,  Stevenson  &  Orr, 
Ltd.,  George  Bell  &  Sons,  T.  C.  and  E.  C.  Black,  and 
others  who  have  granted  permission  for  the  use  of  material. 


MAPS 


PAGE 

The  Path  of  Ireland's  Early  Invaders i 

Pagan  Ireland 29 

Places  mentioned  in  Irish  History,  from  the  Intro- 
duction OF  Christianity  to  iioo 53 

Ireland,  with  some  of  the  Ancient  Earldoms  and 
Dukedoms  (full  page) 113 

Places  mentioned  in  Irish  History  during  the  Wars 
AFTER  1582 169 

Political  Divisions  of  Ireland,  1600- 1900  (full  page, 
colored) facing  180 

Europe  with  Places  mentioned  in  connection  with 
Irish  History  (full  page) 247 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


CHAPTER    I 


THE    LEGENDARY    RACES 


Traditional  Date  :  b.  c.  2000 


1.  The  coming  of  the  De  Dananns.   In  ancient  times, 
along  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  Sea,  there  lived  a  race  of 
tall  and  mighty  warriors,  called  the  De  Danann  j^^^^^^^ 
tribe.     They  had  golden  hair  which  hung  down  from  the 
on  their  shoulders,  blue  eyes,  and  straight  fea- 

tures  like  the  Greeks. 

A  band  of  these 
De  Danann  warriors, 
under  Nuadat,  their 
ruler,  embarked  in 
their  long  ships,  to 
seek  new  lands. 

They  sailed  across 
the  rough  North  Sea, 
around  the  capes  and 
islands  of  Scotland, 
and  then  turned 
southward,  till  they 
came  to  the  entrance 
of  Lough  Foyle.  Be- 
fore them,  to  the 
south,  were  forests 
and  mountains,  and  a  river  flowed  to  meet  them,  coming 
from  among  the  hills. 


THE  PATH  OF  IRELAND'S  EARLY  INVADERS 


2  IRELAND'S    STORY  [b.  c.  2000  ? 

Attracted  by  the  pleasant  appearance  of  this  river, 
they  sailed  on,  as  far  as  their  boats  could  carry  them, 
and  then,  landing  on  the  bank,  they  burned  their  ves- 
sels, determined  to  meet  their  destiny  in  this  new  home. 
Thus,  when  discovered  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  land, 
they  were  taken  for  magical  beings  who  had  dropped 
from  the  skies  or  risen  out  of  the  earth. 

2.  Their  reception  by  the  Firbolgs.  At  this  time, 
there  were  already  two  races  in  Ireland,  the  Firbolgs  and 
Fomorians.  They  were  both  dark-haired  races.  The 
Fomorians  were  tall,  and  were  great  seamen  and  fish- 
ermen, living  on  the  islands  and  on  the  western  coast. 
The  Firbolgs  were  a  short  race,  like  the  Laplanders, 
and  dwelt  more  inland.  Their  high  chief  was  Eocaid, 
remembered  as  the  last  king  of  the  Firbolgs. 

Eocaid  was  the  first  to  get  tidings  of  the  arrival  of 
the  strangers.  He  gathered  the  Firbolg  chiefs  in  coun- 
Themeet-  ^^^'  ^^^  after  a  long  debate  it  was  decided  that 
ingofsreng  Srens:,  the  strongest  amono-  them,   should  go 

andBreas.  °  ^  &  '  & 

forth  to  learn  what  he  could  of  the  De  Dananris. 
The  De  Dananns  heard  of  his  coming,  and  Breas,  one 
of  their  mightiest  warriors,  was  sent  forth  to  meet  him. 
Breas  carried  a  long,  slender  spear,  sharp-pointed,  and 
made  of  golden  bronze,  while  Sreng's  spear  was  thick 
and  heavy,  of  dull  metal,  with  a  broad  end.  Both  war- 
riors had  swords  and  shields.  Breas,  messenger  of  the 
De  Dananns,  spoke  first,  and  said  that,  as  the  rivers  were 
full  of  fish,  and  the  forests  full  of  deer,  the  two  peoples 
might  live  peaceably  together  without  a  contest. 

The  Firbolgs  were  unwilling  to  agree  to  this  plan,  and 
declared  for  war.  The  De  Dananns  retreated  westward 
to  the  land  which  lies  between  the  lakes  of  Corrib  and 
Mask,  where  Mayo  and  Galway  now  join.  Here  they  en- 
camped on  a  commanding  hill.     Nuadat,  the  De  Danann 


B.  c.  2000?]         THE    LEGENDARY   RACES  3 

king,  once  more  tried  to  come  to  a  peaceful  agreement 
with  the  Firbolgs,  but  the  latter  refused  all  terms.  So 
the  two  hosts,   the  golden-haired   and   black-  „    , 

°  Battle  of 

haired  warriors,  met  at  Mag  Tured,  "  the  plain  southern 
of  the  rock  pillars,"  and  the  fight  lasted  all  ^^^  Tured. 
day  long.  The  followers  of  Nuadat  proved  the  stronger. 
The  fighting  continued  beside  the  two  lakes  until  there 
remained  only  three  hundred  Firbolg  warriors,  under 
Sreng  as  leader.  Nuadat  then  offered  terms  to  Sreng. 
The  latter  was  to  choose  and  rule  one  of  the  five  divi- 
sions of  Ireland,  and  the  conquerors  were  to  have  the 
rest.  Sreng  chose  the  western  province,  which  was  later 
called  Connaught. 

3.  Contest  with  the  Pomorians.  As  King  Nuadat 
was  seriously  wounded,  Breas  was  chosen  to  rule  in  his 
stead.  The  new  ruler  was  half  De  Danann  and  half 
Fomorian.  He  finally  became  so  tyrannous  and  over- 
bearing that  the  people  could  endure  him  no  longer,  and 
he  was  driven  from  the  kingdom.  He  fled  to  his  Fomo- 
rian kinsman,  Balor  of  the  Evil  Eye,  and  persuaded  him 
to  attack  the  De  Dananns.  Nuadat,  healed  of  his  wound, 
was  again  in  power.     He  prepared  his  army  to 

meet  the  foe,  and  a  hot  battle  was  fought  at  Northern 
Northern  Mag  Tured  between  the  two  forces,      *^ 
which  ended  in  the  complete  defeat  of  the  Fomorians, 
and  left  the  De  Dananns  undisputed  masters  of  Ireland. 
In  this  battle  the  De  Danann  king,  Nuadat,  and  many 
chieftains  on  both  sides  were  slain. 

4.  The  legend  of  the  Dagda's  harp.  In  the  second 
battle  of  Mag  Tured  the  Fomorians  carried  off  the  harp  of 
the  Dagda,  spiritual  chief  of  the  De*Dananns.  Some  De 
Dananns  pursued  the  Fomorians,  seeking  to  recover  it. 
The  chiefs  of  the  Fomorians,  leaving  the  battlefield  far 
behind,  and  thinking  they  had   eluded   their  pursuers, 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[b.  C.  2000? 


halted  to  refresh  themselves  and  rest.  They  had  gathered 
together  for  a  banquet,  hanging  the  captured  harp  on  the 
wall,  when  the  pursuing  De  Dananns  burst  in  upon  them. 
Before  the  Fomorians  had  even  risen  to  their  feet,  the 
Dagda  called  to  his  harp  to  come  to  him.  The  harp  re- 
cognized its  master's  voice,  says  the  legend,  and  came  to 
him,  leaping  from  the  wall,  killing  nine  men  on  the  way. 
The  harp  set  itself  in  the  hands  of  its  master,  who  played 
on  it  three  wonderful  strains.  The  first  was  the  music  of 
tears.  When  they  heard  it  the  women  of  the  Fomori- 
ans wept.  The  second  was  the  music  of  mirth.  As  the 
Dagda  played  it,  the  young  men  burst  into  laughter. 
Then  he  played  the  third  strain,  the  music  of  dreams,  and 
the  children  and  the  women  and  the  warriors  of  the  Fo- 
morians sank  into  sleep.  So  the  pursuers  safely  returned 
to  the  De  Danann  camp. 

This  most  ancient  tradition  credits  the  De  Dananns 


PYRAMID    AT    NEWGRANGE 
Part  of  the  outer  row  of  stones  is  to  be  seen  in  the  foreground 


with  bringing  to  Ireland  the  knowledge  of  music,  one  of 
the  genuine  magical  arts,  with  the  harp  so  celebrated 
through  all  Irish  history.     Thousands  of  the  early  harp 


B.  c.  2OO0?]         THE    LEGENDARY   RACES  5 

melodies  of  Ireland  have  come  down  to  us,  some  of  them 
of  very  great  antiquity,  some  connected  by  tradition  with 
definite  historic  episodes,  and  many  of  them  of  extreme 
beauty  and  musical  value. 

6.  The  civilization  of  the  De  Dananns.  Numerous 
monuments  have  been  accredited  by  tradition  to  the  De 
Dananns,  but  the  greatest  and  most  worthy  of  notice  are 


PLAN    OF    THE    CHAMBER    IN    THE    NEWGRANGE    PYRAMID 

the  three  wonderful  pyramids  at  Brugh  on  the  Boyne, 

now  called    the    mounds    of    Newgrange,  Knowth,  and 

Dowth.     Here,  in  a  fertile  plain,  once  wooded,  in  a  bend 

of  the  river  Boyne,  ten  miles  from  the  sea,  stand  three 

great  stone  pyramids  a  mile  apart,  the  ancient  j^^^^ 

shrines  and  sacred  places  of  the  De  Dananns.   pyramids. 

The  middle  pyramid  is  the  largest  of  the  three.     It  is  a 

mass  of  two  hundred  thousand  tons  of  stone,  surrounded 

by  a  wall  of  large  boulders,  with  an  outer  circle  of  huge 

stones  guarding  it  like  so  many  giant  sentinels.     In  the 

heart  of  this  monument  is  a  chamber  formed  like  a  cross, 

with  a  high  roof,  and  mysterious  tracings  on  the  walls. 

This  is  the  innermost  shrine. 

In  these  tombs  and  sanctuaries  we  still  find  traces  of 

the  civilization  of  the  De  Dananns,  and  relics   Reucsof 

of  their  handicraft  and  skill,  such  as   granite  DeDanann 

art. 
basins,  which  have  been  called  baptismal  fonts, 

ornaments,   beads,    combs,   and    amber   trinkets.      The 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[b.  C.  2000? 


shrines  and  what  they  contain  enable  us  to  identify  the 
golden-haired  invaders  of  ancient  Ireland  with  the  people 
of  the  Baltic  lands. 

6.  The  stone  circles  and  cromlechs.  Even  more 
wonderful  than  the  huge  stone  pyramids  accredited  by 
tradition  to  the  De  Dananns  is  another  class  of  monu- 
ments found  all  over  Ireland.  This  class  of  monuments 
includes  the  great  stone  circles  wrongly  called  Druidical 
Circles  —  since  they  are  far  older  than  the  Druids —  and 
the  cromlechs  or  dolmens,  which  often  stand  in  the  centre 
of  the  stone  circles.  A  cromlech  always  consists  of  a 
huge  stone  supported  by  several  others,  almost  equally 


STONE    CIRCLE    AND    CROMLECH    AT    CARROVVMORE 


huge,  which  stand  like  the  legs  of  a  table,  upholding 
the  large  upper  block.  These  cromlechs  are  in  a  way 
the  most  awe-inspiring  and  mysterious  monuments  in  the 
world.  We  find  them  all  over  the  island,  on  the  plains 
and  in  the  mountains,  huge  silent  relics,  so  old  that  even 


B.C.  2000?]         THE    LEGENDARY    RACES  7 

legends  concerning  them  have  vanished  utterly.    Thus  at 

Carrowmore  near  Sligo  there  are  more  than  sixty  large 

stone  circles,  several  of  which  have  cromlechs  Mystery 

within  them  ;  and  this  is  only  one  place  among  otthe 

_,  n  .  T    cromlechs. 

many.  The  stones  are  all  very  massive,  and 
are  often  twice  the  height  of  an  ordinary  man.  In  Glen 
Druid  in  the  Dublin  mountains  is  a  cromlech  whose  gran- 
ite crown  weighs  seventy  tons.  The  upper  stone  of  the 
cromlech  at  Howth  measures  nearly  twenty  feet  square, 
is  eight  feet  thick,  and  weighs  a  hundred  tons.  It  origi- 
nally rested  on  twelve  rugged  pillars,  seven  feet  high. 
How  this  enormous  block  was  put  in  place  is  still  a  mys- 
tery. Sometimes  the  stone  blocks  of  the  great  circles 
stand  edge  to  edge,  forming  a  giant  temple  open  to  the 
sky,  with  a  similar  smaller  ring  inside,  and  an  avenue  of 
tall  pillars  forming  an  approach.  Such  an  arrangement 
as  this  may  be  seen  on  the  shore  of  Lough  Gur  in  Lim- 
erick. Then  there  are  spaced  circles,  groups  of  circles, 
and  irregular  groups  of  huge  boulders. 

7.  Who  built  the  cromlechs?  The  growth  of  peat 
over  certain  of  these  stone  circles  shows  that  they  were 
put  in  place  several  thousand  years  ago,  long  before  the 
arrival  of  the  De  Dananns.  They  are,  therefore,  the  work 
of  some  older  race,  such  as  the  Firbolgs  or  Fomorians, 
whom  the  De  Dananns  found  in  Ireland  on  their  arrival. 

The  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  describe  a  far-north- 
ern race,  whom  they  called  the  Hyperboreans,  who  dwelt 
in  caves,  in  the  north  of  Europe,  several  thousand  years 
ago.     They  were  men  of  small  stature,  sallow  complex- 
ion, and  black  hair,  and  everything  goes  to  show  that 
they  are  the  same  race  which  Irish  tradition  probawy 
calls  the  Firbolgs.  While  this  race  is  old  enough  Jy\Je'" 
to  have  built  the  cromlechs,  several  considera-  Firtoigs. 
tions  keep  us   from   believing  that  they  did   so.     The 


8  IRELAND'S    STORY  [b.  c.  2000? 

chief  of  these  is  that  of  locality.  The  cromlechs  are 
found  over  a  large  area,  and  in  many  regions  where  there 
were  no  Firbolgs  or  Hyperboreans  to  build  them. 

There  is,  however,  another  race,  which  is  probably 
that  called  Fomorian  by  Irish  tradition,  whose  distribu- 
TheFomo-  ^^^^  Coincides  exactly  with  that  of  the  crom- 
riansor  lechs  and  stone  circles.  The  tribes  of  this  tall, 
dark  race  seem  to  have  had  their  centre  of 
dispersion  near  Gibraltar,  and  to  have  spread  in  two 
directions.  To  the  south,  they  overran  the  African  coast 
as  far  as  Algiers  and  Tunis,  spreading  thence  to  the 
islands  of  Sardinia,  Malta,  and  Minorca,  and  landing  on 
the  southeast  coast  of  Spain.  To  the  north,  they  spread 
over  Portugal  and  northern  Spain,  the  west  coast  of 
France,  especially  Brittany,  Ireland,  the  west  coast  of 
Britain,  and  the  Atlantic  border  of  Norway.  As  they 
seem  to  have  come  from  Mount  Atlas,  and  always  kept 
close  to  the  Atlantic,  the  tribes  of  this  race  have  been 
called  Atlanteans.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  crom- 
lechs and  great  stone  circles,  such  as  have  been  described 
in  Ireland,  are  found  scattered  over  the  entire  country, 
from  Africa  to  Norway,  at  one  time  ruled  and  inhabited 
by  the  tall,  dark  Fomorians  or  Atlanteans.  The  crom- 
lechs are  not  found  elsewhere,  and  remnants  of  this 
race  are  not  found  in  countries  where  there  are  no  crom- 
lechs. So  all  the  conditions  seem  to  be  fulfilled,  and  we 
can  with  very  great  probability  identify  the  Fomorians 
with  the  cromlech-builders.  This  strong  and  athletic 
race,  full  of  the  spirit  of  adventure,  must  have  ruled  for 
long  centuries  in  a  land  of  peace  and  plenty,  engaged 
amongst  other  things  in  building  temples  and  tombs  con- 
taining blocks  of  stone  so  large  that  a  thousand  men 
could  hardly  lift  them.  Its  rulers  must  have  held  great 
power  to  command  such  work. 


B.  c.  2000?]         THE    LEGENDARY    RACES  9 

SUMMARY 

The  golden-haired  De  Dananns  came  down  from  the  Baltic 
Sea,  landed  at  Lough  Foyle,  and,  after  burning  their  ships, 
proceeded  inland.  They  came  into  contact  with  two  dark- 
haired  races  who  already  inhabited  Ireland.  Two  battles 
followed,  at  Southern  Mag  Tured  against  the  Firboigs,  and 
at  Northern  Mag  Tured  against  the  Fomorians.  In  both  bat- 
tles the  De  Dananns  were  victorious. 

To  the  De  Dananns  is  attributed  the  building  of  the  great 
pyramids  along  the  Boyne.  Relics  of  their  art,  which  have 
been  found  in  these  pyramids,  point  to  a  high  degree  of  civili- 
zation. 

Other  ancient  monuments  in  Ireland  are  the  cromlechs  and 
great  stone  circles,  probably  built  by  the  Fomorians. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE    MILESIANS 

Traditional  Dates:  b.  c  1700-B.  c.  1000 

8.  Arrival  of  the  Sons  of  Milid.  The  De  Dananns 
established  themselves  in  Ireland,  and  soon  gained  full 
sway  over  the  island.  For  several  centuries,  they  ruled 
in  comparative  quiet,  and  built  their  mighty  pyramids. 
Then  they  were  forced  to  yield,  surrendering  to  later 
conquerors.  The  new  invaders  were  the  "  Sons  of  Milid," 
who  came,  tradition  tells  us,  from  either  Gaul  or  Spain, 
at  a  date  probably  more  than  three  thousand  years 
GaeUc  ^go.     At  that  period,  the  race  which  we  know 

invasion,  ^g  ^j^^  Gauls  held  sway  over  the  whole  of  Cen- 
tral Europe,  from  Austrian  Galicia  to  Galicia  on  the 
west  coast  of  Spain,  both  of  which  provinces  still  pre- 
serve the  name  of  the  Galli  or  Gauls.  In  Ireland,  this 
race  was  called  Gaedel,  or  Gael,  and  in  all  the  vast  area 
which  it  inhabited,  whether  on  the  continent  or  in  -Ire- 
land, this  race  had  always  the  same  character  and  form  : 
tall,  stalwart,  inclined  to  stoutness,  with  brown  or  red 
hair  and  gray  or  hazel  eyes,  and  with  a  complexion  easily 
tanned  by  sun  and  wind. 

The  ships  of  the  Sons  of  Milid,  says  the  legend, 
landed,  after  great  difficulty,  due  to  the  De  Danann  ma- 
gical arts,  on  the  strand  of  Kenmare  Bay  in  Kerry.  They 
routed  the  De  Dananns,  and  pursued  them  northward, 
overtaking  them  at  Tailten  on  the  Blackwater,  in  what 
is  now  Meath.     Here  another  battle  was  fought,  at  a 


B.C.  i7oo?-B.c.  looo?]  THE    MILESIANS  II 

place  ten  miles  west  of  Tara,  which  assured  the  foothold 
of  the  Sons  of  Milid  in  the  land  of  their  adop-  „^ 

^      They  over- 

tion,  and  gave  the  death-blow  to  the  siiprem-  come  the  De 
acy  of  the  De  Danann  pyramid-builders.    Thus     *"*^^- 
the  fourth  of  the  ancient  races  came  to  Ireland. 

9.  The  Ireland  of  the  Milesians.  One  can  easily  form 
an  idea  of  the  land  in  which  these  successive  invaders 
made  their  home  by  picturing  an  island,  oblong  in  shape, 
three  hundred  miles  long  and  a  hundred  and  seventy-five 
miles  wide.  The  north  and  the  south  are  mountainous, 
while  the  centre  is  a  plain,  whose  waters  are  carried  off 
by  the  Shannon  and  the  Boyne.  In  the  northern  and 
southern  mountain  regions  alike,  the  hills  run  from 
northeast  to  southwest.  The  highest  are  about  three 
thousand   feet,  and  nearly  all  are  of  rounded  „ 

•'  Mountains, 

forms,  with  grass  and  heather  to  their  summits,  lakes,  and 
In  the  days  of  the  early  races,  these  mountains, 
like  the  higher  regions  of  the  central  plain,  were  covered 
with  woods  largely  formed  of  oak-trees;  the  rest  of  the 
plain  was  open  grass-land,  or  marsh  and  bog.  As  much 
of  the  land  was  thus  covered  with  woods,  leaving  little 
space  for  tillage,  it  was  considered  an  act  worthy  of  high 
praise  to  clear  away  the  forest,  and  open  up  new  land, 
and  the  names  of  many  early  chiefs  are  remembered  in 
the  Annals  for  work  of  this  kind.  Later,  much  of  the 
forest  was  cut  down  for  fuel,  or  to  be  used  in  smelting 
iron  ore,  so  that  at  present  the  country  is  comparatively 
bare  of  trees.  In  the  beginning,  however,  it  was  a  land 
of  forests,  mountains,  and  lakes,  very  wild  and  very 
beautiful. 

In  the  thickets  of  the  forests  and  on  the  mountains, 
from  times  much  more  remote  than  those  of 
the  earlier   traditional  races,  there  were  vast 
herds  of  wild  cattle,  deer  of  several  kinds,  and  wild  boars. 


12 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[b.  c.  ? 


Largest  among  the  deer  were  the  giant  Irish  elks  which 
continued  to  Hve  and  thrive  for  many  thousand  years, 
but  disappeared  in  the  days  of  the  earliest  races.     These 

vast  herds  of  deer  and 
cattle  were  preyed  on  in 
times  extremely  remote 
by  tigers  and  grizzly 
bears,  but  in  later  years 
these  became  extinct,  and 
their  worst  enemies  were 
wolves  and  wild  dogs. 
On  the  rocky  crags  of 
the  mountains  golden 
eagles  made  their  nests ; 
and  white  fish-hawks,  or 
ospreys,  hovered  over  the 
lakes  in  the  great  central 
plain  and  among  the  hills. 
The  glades  of  the  forest 
resounded  with  the  songs  of  innumerable  blackbirds  and 
thrushes,  and  above  the  open  meadows  skylarks 
trilled  up  under  the  clouds.  Myriads  of  smaller 
birds  filled  the  forests  with  life  among  the  glades  carpeted 
in  spring  with  yellow  primroses,  wood  anemones,  and 
dark  blue  hyacinths.  The  rivers,  with  the  lakes  which  fed 
them,  were  full  of  fish,  big  silver  salmon,  speckled 
trout,  and  a  score  of  others.  Gray  herons  with 
long  plumes,  standing  silent  in  the  margin  of  the  rivers, 
watched  for  the  young  fish  ;  and  otters  pursued  the 
salmon  through  the  deep  pools  and  under  the  waterfalls. 
In  the  age  of  the  great  oak  forests,  Ireland  was 
warmer  than  now.  Through  the  long  summer 
days  of  sunshine,  the  woods  teemed  with  stir- 
ring life.     Then  with  autumn  and  the  shortening  days 


SKELETON    OF   THE    GREAT    IRISH    ELK 

The  height  to  the  tip  of  the  antler  is  about 
twelve  feet 


Birds. 


Fish. 


Climate. 


B.  c.  looo?]  THE    MILESIANS  13 

the  leaves  began  to  wither  on  the  oaks,  hanging  there 

brown  and  dry  till  midwinter,  then  falling  in  a  russet 

carpet  on  the  grass,  where  the  wild  boars  gathered,  seek- 

ins:  for  the  fallen  acorns.     The  forests  were  bare  then, 

but  for  the  groves  of  holly  and  evergreen  yew,  and  the 

pines   and  fir-trees    upon  the  mountains.     Little  snow 

fell,  and  not  twice  in  ten  years  did  ice  cover  the  drink- 

ing-pools  of  the  deer  among  the  hills. 

All  around  the  coasts,  with  broad  reaches  of  sand  on 

the  east  and  cliffs  broken  into  long,  rocky  inlets  on  the 

west,  the  gulls  clamored  incessantly,  close  to  the  edge  of 

the  tide,  a  line  of  gray  wings  beside  the  white  fringe  of 

the  waters.     Over  the  sea  vellow-wino^ed  solan 

Sea-birds. 

geese  hovered  and  plunged  among  the  shoals 
offish  ;  black  cormorants  swam  hither  and  thither  among 
the  waves,  ever  and  anon  diving  under  the  blue  water, 
or  standing,  with  wings  outspread  and  shivering,  on  the 
ledges  of  the  seaweed  covered  rocks.  When  the  storms 
came  up  from  the  ocean,  bringing  darkness  and  rain  upon 
the  sea,  the  white  gulls  were  driven  inland  to  the  homes 
of  the  ravens  and  the  rooks. 

10.  Life  of  the  early  races.  Ireland  thus  richly  en- 
dowed offered  a  hospitable  refuge  to  all  the  races  whose 
coming  we  have  recorded.  The  deer  and  wild  cattle  of 
the  forests,  the  salmon  caught  in  the  weirs,  the  trout 
in  the  mountain  streams,  the  birds  of  the  woods,  the 
lakes,  and  the  seashore  gave  ample  food.  The  very  ear- 
liest races  lived  in  caves  in  the  mountains  ;  later  comers 
built  round  houses  of  pine  or  oak  cut  from  the  forests  on 
the  hills.  When  the  inhabitants  became  more  numerous, 
and  feuds  and  quarrels  arose  among  the  different  races 
and  tribes,  these  houses  were  often  surrounded 
with  earthen  ramparts,  circular  in  form  like  the 
houses  themselves.     These  ring-shaped  earthworks,  sur- 


14  IRELAND'S   STORY  [b.  c.  looo? 

vivors  of  a  remote  past,  are  found  everywhere  in  Ireland 

to-day,  and  are  called  forts,  forraths,  or  raths. 

Even  before  the  coming  of  the  De  Dananns,  the  Fo- 

morians  and  Firbolgs  had  made  weapons  and  implements 

Early  ^^  metal,  using  chiefly  bronze,  the  material  for 

weapons,      which  they  obtained  from  the  abundant  copper 
clothes,  .        ,  .  ^,  1        1     ,  r 

andorna-      ores  m  the  mountains.      Ihey  made  clothes  of 

ments.         leather  prepared  from   the   skins  of  the  deer 

they  killed   for  food.     They  adorned  themselves  with 

necklaces  of  shells,  of  pebbles  pierced  like  beads,  and 

wore  armlets  or  bracelets  roughly  made  of  copper,  silver, 

or  even  gold.     With  the    coming   of   the  De  Dananns 

came  a  new  development  of  knowledge  and  skill,  and  a 

greater  wealth  of  moral  and  mental  life.     They   made 

The  bronze-   much  more  beautiful  weapons,  gracefully  shaped 

De^Da-  *^^  ^^^^  ^^^  weapons  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  and  of 


a  finer  material,  a  golden  bronze  that  even  to- 
day shines  like  gold.  It  is  probable  that  their  skill  in 
metal  work  influenced  the  art  of  the  Sons  of  Milid  who 
came  after  them. 

11.  Early  social  life  of  the  Milesians.  But  for  all 
their  skill  and  knowledge,  the  De  Dananns  seem  to  have 
been  hunters  only,  ignorant  of  agriculture.  It  is  only 
after  the  coming  of  the  Sons  of  Milid,  who  brought  their 
The  agri-  knowledge  from  Continental  Europe,  that  we 
the^MUe"-  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^  sowing  of  grain  and  the  weaving 
sians.  of  flax.     Acorns,  dried  and  ground    up,  were 

used  instead  of  grain  for  bread,  not  only  in  early  times, 
but  far  later.  With  the  Milesians  came  a  riper  social 
life,  such  as  seems  only  to  be  developed  when  the  fierce 
Social  and     Pursuit  of  wild  game  has  given  place  to  sowing 

artistic  de-  and  reaping:  and  the  tending  of  flocks.  The 
velopment.  i      o  o 

relics  and  treasures  which  have  been  found  of 
recent  years  prove  the  truth  of  the  stories  which  have 


B.  C.    1000?] 


THE    MILESIANS 


15 


come  down  to  us,  of  the  wonderful  art  and  high  develop- 
ment which  characterized  the  life  and  people  of  that  dis- 
tinctively Irish  period,  beginning  with  the  coming  of  the 
Milesians  some  three  thousand  years  ago.  The  art  of 
working  gold  was  carried  to  a  still  higher  degree  of  per- 
fection. The  gold  mines  of  Wicklow,  along  ^j^^  ^^^^_ 
the  greater  and  lesser  Avons,  were  one  of  the  low  gold 
sources  from  which  the  Milesians  and  De 
Dananns  drew  their  supply.  These  mines  were  so  rich 
that  much  gold  is  still  found  there,  many  thousand  ounces 
having  been  obtained  during  the  last  century.  We  have 
an  abundance  of  beautiful  gold-work  from  those  times, 
of  unparalleled  fineness  of  design  and  execution,  proving 
that  the  Milesian  goldsmith  was  not  only  an  excellent 
artist,  but  a  skilful  and  indefatigable  workman.  Modern 
productions  in  this  art  are  often  commonplace  beside  the 
delicate,  refined,  minute 
work  of  the  early  Irish 
period.  Torques ,  or 
twisted  ribbons  of  gold, 
of  varying  size  and  shape, 
were  worn  as  diadems, 
collars,  or  even  belts ; 
crescent  bands  of  finely 
embossed  sheet  gold  were 
worn  above  the  forehead  ; 
brooches  and  pins,  of  the 
most  delicate  and  imagi- 
native workmanship,  were 
used  to  fasten  the  folds  of 
the  many-colored  cloaks 
worn  by  the  kings  and  chieftains  and  warriors.  For  the 
Milesians  were  skilled  in  the  use  of  dyes.  It  is  recorded 
that  the  first  three  colors  used  were  blue,  purple,  and 


LOOSELY   TWISTED    TORQUE    OF    GOLD 
The  original  torque  is  5^  inches  in  diameter 


i6 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[b.  c.  iooo 


Rings  and  bracelets  were 


green,  and  to  these  a  rich  red,  a  yellow,  a  pink,  and  cer- 
Richiy  ^^^^  other  colors  were  later  added.  The  king 
dyed  had  the  right  to  wear  garments  of  seven  colors, 

garments.         ,  ^  ■    r  .  ,  .  , 

the  greater  chiefs  wore  six,  and  so  in  a  de- 
scending scale,  where  rank  was  shown  by  the  number 
of  hues  in  the  dress.  The  tribal  tartans  of  Scotland 
are  a  relic  of  this  custom, 
worn.  Everything,  whether 
for  ornament  or  use,  was 
richly  carved,  and  the  forms 
of  many  of  the  domestic  uten- 
sils, the  earthen  pots,  the  caul- 
drons of  welded  sheet  bronze, 
the  huge  curved  war-trum- 
pets, are  graceful  and  artistic. 

12.  The  Brehon  Laws. 
The  Sons  of  Milid,  who  are 
the  Gaels  of  Irish 
history,  brought 
with  them  from  the 
continent  a  system  of  laws,  called  the  Laws  of  the  Bre- 
hons,  from  the  Gaelic  word  brehon,  *'a  judge."  Their 
central  principle  is  the  unity  of  the  family,  as  even  to- 
day the  father  of  a  family  has  a  certain  legal  and  social 
Unity  of  authority  over  his  wife,  children,  and  servants, 
the  family,  jj^-^  authority  is  exactly  balanced  by  the  duty 
of  providing  for  them  and  liability  for  their  debts.  At 
present  the  father's  responsibility  for  his  sons  and  his 
legal  authority  over  them  end  when  they  come  of  age. 
In  primitive  Irish  society  this  was  not  so.  Union  is 
strength,  and  to  secure  this  strength  the  family  remained 
united  even  after  the  sons  came  of  age. 

Let  us  imagine  the  head  of  such  a  united  family  liv- 
ing to  a  great  age,  with  great-grandchildren  growing  up 


Their 

underlying 

principle. 


ANCIENT    IRISH    BRONZE    CAUL- 
DRON 

Cauldrons  are  said  to  have  been  intro- 
duced into  Ireland  by  the  De  Dananns 


B.  c.  looo?]  THE    MILESIANS  1/ 

around  him.  Taking  his  sons  and  grandsons  with  their 
wives,  children,  and  servants,  he  might  easily  be  the  head 
of  a  family  numbering  a  hundred,  or  a  hundred  and  fifty 
persons.  Such  a  family  would  be  strong  enough  to  hold 
its  own  against  attack,  and,  in  fact,  would  be  a  small  state 
under  the  authority  of  a  patriarchal  head  or  chief.  All 
his  sons  and  grandsons  and  their  wives  had  the  same  sur- 
name, derived  from  the  name  of  their  father. 

13.  The  family  grows  into  a  tribe.  On  the  death  of 
the  father  of  such  an  undivided  family,  it  was  necessary 
to  choose  a  new  head  to  exercise  authority  over  the  rest 
and  be  responsible  for  them.  Where  suitable,  the  eldest 
son  was  chosen,  but  if  he  was  incompetent,  or  unable  to 
make  his  authority  felt,  the  general  opinion  of  the  family 
often  passed  him  over  in  favor  of  a  more  worthy  head.    If 

we  imagine  the  same  family  holding  together 

*    ,  .  ^  ,   ^  .         The  tribe, 

for  several  generations,  and  at  each  generation 

choosing  its  most  worthy  member  as  head,  we  have  ex- 
actly the  ancient  Irish  tribe. 

In  the  Irish  famihes,  it  became  the  custom  to  assign 
to  the  chief,  or  head  of  the  tribe,  a  definite  share  of  the 
property  of  the  tribe,  in  order  that  he  might  maintain  a 
certain  dignity  and  state  as  befitted  his  authority  and  re- 
presentative position.  This  "chiefs  portion"  Division  of 
passed  entire  to  the  chief's  successor.  On  the  property, 
other  hand,  the  property  of  other  members  of  the  tribe 
was  held  in  common,  the  right  to  enjoy  it  being  divided 
equally  among  all  their  sons.  Therefore,  while  the  chief 
was  as  rich  as  his  predecessor,  or  richer,  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe  tended  to  become  continually  poorer, 
through  the  perpetual  subdivision  of  their  property 
amongst  all  their  sons.  In  this  way  a  chasm  gradually 
opened  between  the  chief's  family  and  the  rest  of  the 
tribe,  the  chief  growing  in  authority  and  wealth  until  the 


l8  IRELAND'S    STORY  [b.  c.  looo? 

distinction  between  the  chief's  family  and  the  ordinary 
Origin  of  freemen  of  the  tribe  amounted  to  a  difference  of 
classes.  class.  As  there  were  great  numbers  of  these 
tribal  families  in  Ireland,  their  heads  gradually  formed  a 
class  by  themselves,  a  hereditary  nobility,  distinct  from 
the  rest  of  the  people.  The  "  Rig,"  or  king,  of  Irish  his- 
Tiie"Rig"  tory  is  the  head  or  chief  of  a  powerful  family 
or  king.  Qj.  group  of  families,  and  if  we  keep  in  mind  the 
structure  of  such  a  family  and  the  rivalries  between  differ- 
ent families,  we  shall  understand  the  causes  of  the  inces- 
sant struggles  to  be  narrated  in  the  chapters  which  follow. 

14.  Wealth  estimated  in  cattle.  We  have  spoken  of 
the  property  of  the  tribal  family.  This  property  consisted 
primarily  of  cattle.  The  herd  of  the  chief  naturally 
tended  to  increase,  while  the  cattle  of  the  other  members 
of  the  tribe  were  perpetually  subdivided  amongst  a  num- 
ber of  children,  so  that  no  member  was  likely  to  possess 
many  head  of  cattle.  Thus  the  nobles  were  always  a 
wealthy  class,  and  we  find  the  Irish  law  tracts  recognizing 
this  when  they  say  that  "  the  head  of  every  tribe  should 
be  the  man  of  the  tribe  who  is  the  most  experienced,  the 
most  noble,  the  most  wealthy,  the  most  learned,  the  most 
truly  popular,  the  most  powerful  to  oppose,  the  most 
steadfast  to  sue  for  profits  and  be  sued  for  losses."  As 
in  early  days,  when  population  was  scanty,  there  was  no 
scarcity  of  land,  cattle  were  much  more  valuable  than 
land  ;  and  when  the  cattle  of  a  tribe  failed,  through  disease 
or  bad  seasons,  the  temptation  to  help  themselves  to  the 
cattle  of  their  neighbors  was  very  strong.  We  find  many 
of  the  early  wars  in  all  countries  originating  in  cattle 
raids,  and  the  finest  epic  in  ancient  Ireland  is  the  story 
of  a  raid  for  a  red  bull.      (See  section  20.) 

15.  Criminal  law.  The  criminal  law  of  the  Brehons 
dealt  with  injuries  to  property  and  person,  and  one  of  its 


B.  c.  looo?]  THE    MILESIANS  19 

most  characteristic  provisions  was  that  injuries  to  the 
person,  including  wounding  and  homicide,  were  pun- 
ished by  exacting  fines  to  be  paid  in  cattle  by  the  tribe 
to  which  the  offender  belonged.  The  rate  of  fines  for 
people  of  various  ranks  was  accurately  fixed  so  that  there 
was  a  certain  "eric,"  or  fine  in  cattle,  for  caus- 

Exlc. 

ing  the  death  of  a  chief;  a  certain  "eric"  for 
causing  the  death  of  a  chief's  son,  a  freeman,  and  so  on. 

SUMMARY 

The  De  Dananns  were  overthrown  by  a  new  race,  the  Mile- 
sians, who  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  Gaul  or  Spain 
about  1000  B.  c,  and  who  were  the  fourth  and  last  race  to 
invade  Ireland.  They  found  a  picturesque  land  of  mountain 
and  plain,  thickly  wooded,  with  some  pastures,  and  great 
tracts  of  marsh.  Numerous  lakes  and  rivers  provided  a  large 
supply  of  fish,  while  a  great  variety  of  animals  and  birds  lived 
in  the  forests.  The  earliest  inhabitants  lived  in  caves,  but 
later,  houses  were  built  of  oak  and  surrounded  by  earthworks 
called  "raths."  Each  of  the  early  races  carried  the  art  of 
metal-work  to  a  higher  degree  than  the  last.  The  Milesians 
introduced  agriculture. 

The  early  Irish  state  was  founded  and  governed  under  the 
Brehon  Laws.  The  underlying  principle  was  the  unity  of  the 
family,  of  which  the  father  was  the  patriarchal  head.  Out 
of  the  family,  regarded  thus  as  a  small  state,  grew  the  tribe. 
The  heads  of  the  tribes,  owing  to  their  superior  wealth,  grad- 
ually came  to  form  a  class  apart,  a  hereditary  nobility.  The 
"  Rig  "  or  king  was  simply  the  chief  of  a  powerful  family  or 
group  of  families.  All  wealth  was  estimated  in  cattle.  Under 
the  rules  of  the  Brehon  criminal  law,  fines  were  paid  in  so  many 
head  of  cattle,  according  to  the  rank  of  the  injured  party. 
Thus  the  Brehon  Laws  had  to  do  with  the  regulation  of  the 
duties  of  the  chief  and  other  members  of  the  tribe  ;  with  the 
division  of  property  ;  and  with  the  fixing  of  fines. 


CHAPTER   III 

LEGENDARY   STORY    OF   EMAIN    OF    MACA 

Traditional  Dates,  b.  c.  450-A.  d.  50 

16.  The  building  of  Bmain.  Twenty-three  hundred 
years  ago,  Queen  Maca  built  the  great  fort  and  palace  of 
Emain,  destined  to  be  for  six  hundred  years  the  dwelling- 
place  of  the  Ulster  kings.  Emain  is  close  to  where 
Armagh  was  later  built,  at  Ard  Maca,  the  "  hill  of  Maca," 
a  name  which  preserves  even  to-day  the  memory  of  the 
queen-foundress  of  Emain.  At  this  great  centre  of  the 
northern  tribes  was  enacted,  some  four  centuries  after 
the  death  of  Maca,  and  therefore  about  the  beginning  of 
our  era,  a  drama  of  passion  which  has  lived  ever  since  in 
the  epic  traditions  of  Ireland.  It  is  the  story  of  Concobar 
the  king,  of  Cuculaind  the  champion  and  warrior,  of  the 
beautiful  and  hapless  Deirdre,  of  the  ill-fated  sons  of 
Usnac. 

17.  Concobar  becomes  chief  of  Emain.  The  begin- 
nings of  the  tragedy  happened  thus  :  Fergus  and  Factna 
were  joint  rulers  at  Emain.  Factna,  husband  of  the  beau- 
tiful Nessa,  died  while  their  son  Concobar  was  yet  a  child. 
Nessa,  left  desolate,  was  yet  so  beautiful  that  Fergus 
sued  for  her  hand.  He  finally  persuaded  her  to  marry 
him,  but  on  this  condition  :  her  son  Concobar  was  to 
succeed  to  the  throne,  even  though  sons  might  be  born 
Fergus  to  Fergus.  Fergus  agreed,  and  even  allowed 
displaced.  Concobar  to  share  his  power,  with  the  result 
that  Fergus  presently  found  himself  thrust  aside,  while 


A.  D.  1-50?]       LEGEND  OF  EMAIN  OF  MACA  21 

his  stepson  became  the  real  ruler  of  Emain  and  the  men 
of  Ulster.  To  Concobar  were  brought  all  the  tributes  of 
cattle  and  horses,  scarlet  cloaks  and  dyed  fabrics,  and 
in  everything  the  word  of  Concobar  was  law.  Fergus 
was  lord  only  of  the  banqueting-hall,  and  of  the  merry- 
makings of  the  young  chiefs. 

18.  The  story  of  Deirdre.  A  maiden  more  beautiful 
than  all  others,  Deirdre  by  name,  with  golden  hair  and 
blue  eyes,  had  come  into  the  power  of  Concobar,  and  was 
kept  by  him  a  close  prisoner.  Deirdre  once  saw  a  raven 
on  the  snow,  sipping  the  blood  of  an  animal  that  had  been 
slain.  She  watched  the  raven,  and  told  her  waiting-wo- 
man that  her  heart  desired  a  lover  whose  hair  should  be 
dark  as  the  raven's  wing,  and  his  skin  red  and  white, 
like  the  blood  on  the  snow.  Soon  after  this,  seeing 
Naisi,  one  of  the  three  sons  of  Usnac,  Deirdre  Escapes  to 
fell  in  love  with  him,  and  persuaded  him  to  take  Scotland, 
her  away  from  Emain,  and  from  Concobar's  power. 
Naisi  at  last  consented,  and  with  his  two  brothers  and 
certain  faithful  followers  he  carried  Deirdre  away  from 
the  fort  of  Emain,  and  passing  quickly  through  the  lands 
of  Concobar  came  to  the  seashore,  and  took  boat  across 
the  narrow  sea  that  divides  Ulster  from  the  long  head- 
lands of  Scotland. 

Once  when  they  were  playing  chess  within  their  shelter 
of  branches,  they  heard  a  call  sounding  to  them,  up  from 
the  water-edge.  Deirdre  felt  that  it  was  a  note  of  doom. 
But  Naisi,  recognizing  the  voice,  went  out  to  meet  the 
newcomers,  who  were  Fergus,  the  king's  stepfather,  and 
his  two  sons,  with  their  companions.  Fergus  capturedby 
had  been  sent  by  Concobar,  with  a  purpose  of  treachery, 
treachery,  known  only  to  the  king  himself  ;  for  Concobar 
had  pledged  his  word  to  Fergus  that  he  would  harm 
neither  Deirdre  nor  Naisi,  but  that  he  needed  the  help 


22  IRELAND'S    STORY  [a.  D.  1-50? 

of  the  sons  of  Usnac  in  war,  and  therefore  sought  their 
return.  Naisi  and  his  brothers  were  wilHng  to  go  back 
to  Emain,  but  on  their  return  the  sons  of  Usnac  were 
slain,  and  Deirdre  fell  once  more  into  Concobar's  power. 

19.  The  revolt  of  Fergus.     When  Fergus  heard  how 

the  king,  who  had  already  usurped  his  throne,  had  now 

broken  faith  with  him,  he  was  furious,  and  endeavored 

to  arouse  the  people  to  revolt.     The  warriors  of  Ulster 

were   immediately  divided   into  two  hostile  camps,  one 

under  Fergus,  the  other  under   Concobar.     With  Con- 

cobar  stood  his  cousin  Cuculaind,  the  greatest  warrior  of 

Emain.  Fergus  soon  understood  that,  with  the 
Fergus  ^ 

seeks  small  force  at  his  command,  he  could  not  hope 

for  victory,  so  he  sought  help  from  Medb, 
queen-consort  of  Ailill,  king  of  Connaught,  whither  he 
went  with  his  two  thousand  Ulster  adherents.  Medb  was 
a  warlike  and  domineering  woman,  who  took  part  in  all 
affairs  of  state,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  lead  her  own 
armies  to  battle.  She  had  long  been  the  enemy  of  Con- 
cobar, therefore  she  gladly  welcomed  the  exiled  F'ergus, 
and  honored  him  by  making  him  her  chief  general.  Dur- 
ing several  years,  many  expeditions  were  led  by  Fergus 
against  Concobar,  with  varying  success,  until  the  famous 
"  War  of  the  Bull." 

20.  The  War  of  the  Bull.  It  happened  that  one  day 
Medb  and  Ailill  fell  to  disputing  as  to  whose  wealth 
was  greatest.  They  matched  their  possessions,  begin- 
ning with  lands,  and  going  on  through  jewels,  robes,  and 

cattle.     The  riches  of  both  were  equal,  until 

Its  cause. 

Ailill  spoke  of  the  white  bull  in  his  herd,  which 

had  no  peer  in  the  herds  of  the  queen.  Medb  sent  to 
seek  the  red  bull  of  Daire,  in  the  territory  of  Ulster.  A 
dispute  arose  over  the  sending  of  the  bull,  and  Medb 
ordered  it  to  be  taken  by  armed  force.     In  the  van  of  her 


A.  D.  1-50?]        LEGEND  OF  EMAIN  OF  MACA 


Cuculalnd. 


army  were  Fergus  and  his  followers.  Concobar's  army 
was  not  quite  ready  to  meet  the  invaders,  so  Cuculaind 
was  sent  with  a  small  force  to  detain  the  host  of  Con- 
naught  at  the  frontier  of  Ulster,  formed  by  the  river 
Dee. 

Cuculaind,  whose  true  name  was  Setanta,  the  son  of 
Sualtam,  and  cousin  of  Concobar,  was  the  greatest  of  the 
many  heroes  of  that  heroic  age.  For 
centuries  after  his  death  the  bards  sang 
his  praises  as  the  most  skilful  and  valiant  warrior, 
the  most  perfect  and  virtuous  hero,  the  most  cour- 
ageous and  magnanimous  figure  of  his  time. 

With  a  handful  of  men,  Cuculaind  held 

Bin      the  ford  on  the  river  Dee  against  Medb's 
II      advancing  army.     In  the  rules  of  war  and 

chivalry  of  those  days  no  army   „     ,  .  ^ 
.  .    •' .  ■'  ^     Cuculaind 

could  advance  so  long  as  a  cham-  holds  the 
pion  of  the  opposite  side  offered  "  " 
single  combat.  He  must  be  met  by  one 
antagonist  at  a  time  until  he  was  over- 
thrown. Then  the  attacking  host  might 
pass.  Thus  Cuculaind  held  the  ford  for 
many  days,  waging  valiant  combat  against 
Medb's  champions,  while  the  men  of  Ul- 

long  and  the  spear      stCr  WCrC  aSSCmblino:. 
head  15  in.  long  ^ 

21.  The  fight  between  Cuculaind  and 
Ferdiad.  Finally,  through  repeated  taunts,  Queen  Medb 
forced  the  mighty  Ferdiad,  the  greatest  hero  of  the 
southern  provinces  and  an  old  friend  of  Cuculaind's,  to 
go  forth  as  her  champion.  For  three  days  the  two 
friends  fought :  "  So  fierce  was  the  fight  they  fought 
that  they  cast  the  river  out  of  its  bed,  so  that  not  a 
drop  of  water  lay  there  unless  from  the  sweat  of  the 
champion  heroes  hewing  each  other  in  the  midst  of  the 


ANCIENT    IRISH 
SWORD    AND 
SPEAR    HEAD 

The  rivet  holes  for 
the  handle  of  the 
sword  can  be  seen 
The  swordis22  in 


24  IRELAND'S    STORY  [a.  d.  1-50? 

ford.  So  fierce  was  the  fight  they  fought  that  the  horses 
of  the  Gael  fled  away  in  fright,  breaking  their  chains  and 
their  yokes,  and  the  women  and  youths  and  camp- 
followers  broke  from  the  camp,  flying  forth  southwards 
and  westwards." 

They  were  fighting  with  the  edges  of  their  swords, 
Ferdiadis  ^"^  Ferdiad,  finding  a  break  in  the  guard  of 
kiued.  Cuculaind,  gave  him  a  stroke  of  the  straight- 

edged  sword,  burying  it  in  his  body  until  the  blood  fell  into 
his  girdle,  and  the  ford  was  red  with  the  blood  of  the 
hero's  body.  Afterwards  Cuculaind  thrust  an  unerring 
spear  over  the  rim  of  the  shield,  and  through  the  breast 
of  Ferdiad's  armor,  so  that  the  point  of  the  spear  pierced 
his  heart  and  showed  through  his  body. 

22.  Concobar  arrives  with  his  army.  Thus  did 
Cuculaind  keep  the  ford,  which  is  still  known  as  the 
ford  of  Ferdiad,  at  Ardee,  in  the  green  plain  of  Louth. 
Meanwhile  Concobar  had  assembled  his  army,  and  now 
arrived  just  in  time  to  check  the  enemy.  Medb's  army 
fled  southward  and  westward,  pursued  by  the  men  of 
Battle  of  Ulster,  until  they  came  to  Gairec.  There  a 
Gairec.  battle  was  fought,  which  was  hardly  less  fatal 
to  the  victors  than  to  the  vanquished.  For  though  the 
hosts  of  Medb  were  routed,  yet  Concobar's  men  could 
not  continue  the  pursuit. 

23.  Concobar  plans  an  invasion.  Concobar  was  now 
determined  to  invade  the  southern  provinces,  and  punish 
their  chiefs  for  the  attack  on  his  territories.  He  held  a 
council  of  war  at  the  fort  of  Cuculaind,  and  laid  his  plans. 
Meanwhile,  Medb,  Ailill,  and  Fergus  were  gathering  their 
hosts  at  Cruacan,  the  capital  of  Connaught.  It  was  de- 
cided to  treat  with  Concobar,  and  terms  were  offered 
him  whereby  he  should  be  duly  repaid  for  all  his  losses 
during  the   past   invasion,  and   the  red   bull   should   be 


A.  D.  1-50?]        LEGEND  OF  EMAIN  OF  MACA  25 

returned.  But  Concobar  refused  to  negotiate,  and  swore 
that  he  would  accept  no  terms  until  his  tent  had  been 
pitched  in  every  province  of  Erin. 

At  the  Headland  of  the  Kings,  close  to  the  ancient 
De  Danann  pyramids  of  Brugh  on  the  Boyne,  the  battle 
was  fought.     The  allies  were  greatly  superior 
in  number  to  the  army  of  Concobar,  but  ow- 
ing to  the  mighty  strength  and  wonderful  deeds  of  Cucu- 
laind,  the  sons  of  Ulster  prevailed. 

24.  Death  of  Cuculaind.  But  Emain  of  Maca  was 
destined  also  to  lose  its  mightiest  warrior.  In  a  later 
battle  with  the  armies  of  Medb,  Cuculaind  received  a 
mortal  wound,  a  spear  piercing  him  through  the  body. 
Cuculaind,  drawing  the  spear  from  his  wound,  painfully 
and  slowly  struggled  toward  a  little  lake  close  to  the 
battlefield  for  a  drink  of  water.  A  stone  stood  there,  a 
pillar  set  up  in  honor  of  some  warrior  of  old,  slain  in 
battle  wqth  his  face  toward  the  foe.  Cuculaind,  seeing 
the  pillar,  and  for  a  moment  revived  by  the  cool  water 
of  the  lake,  though  looking  death  in  the  face,  resolved 
to  pass  on  undaunted  into  the  darkness.  Therefore  he 
bound  his  belt  around  the  pillar  of  stone,  and  passed  it 
under  his  arms,  and  thus  met  death,  standing  firm  upon 
his  feet.  It  is  said  that  a  gray  crow  alighted  on  the 
top  of  the  pillar,  above  the  helmet  of  the  hero,  and  that 
an  otter  lapped  his  blood,  as  it  trickled  from  his  wound, 
and  that  the  armies  of  Medb,  knowing  of  his  mortal 
wound,  yet  seeing  him  standing  there  by  the  pillar,  were 
terrified,  believing  him  an  immortal.  Stricken  with 
dread,  they  turned  back  from  the  battle,  and  thus,  in  his 
death,  the  hero  defended  the  territory  he  had  so  well 
guarded  in  his  life. 


26  IRELAND'S    STORY  [a.  D.  1-50? 

SUMMARY 

The  early  history  of  Ireland  is  largely  legendary,  but  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  about  the  beginning  of  our  era  Con- 
cobar  became  chief  of  the  nnen  of  Ulster,  and  ruled  at  Emain. 
For  many  years  he  waged  wars  against  Medb,  Queen  of  Con- 
naught,  in  which  he  was  successful,  owing  to  the  valor  of 
Cuculaind,  the  most  heroic  figure  in  early  Irish  history.  The 
best  known  of  these  contests  was  "  The  War  of  the  Bull,"  in 
which  Cuculaind  held  the  ford  against  Ferdiad. 


CHAPTER   IV 
POLITICAL   GROWTH 

A.  D.   50-A.  D.   266 

25.  Insurrection  of  the  serfs.  During  the  long  tribal 
conflicts,  many  prisoners  were  taken  in  battle,  and  others 
were  captured  as  the  spoil  of  raids  in  the  territory  of  the 
enemy.  These  prisoners  were  kept  as  serfs,  who  the 
and  had  to  till  the  land,  while  the  free  warriors  serfs  were, 
and  their  chiefs  spent  their  time  in  hunting  or  military 
games,  when  not  actually  fighting.  Some  of  these  serfs, 
who  were  warriors  captured  in  battle,  succeeded  in  escap- 
ing, either  to  Britain  or  to  Gaul,  where  many  of  them 
entered  the  armies  of  the  Romans.  With  the  serfs,  the 
poorer  and  less  fortunate  of  the  tribesmen  gradually 
came  to  make  common  cause. 

The  years  after  Concobar  were  marked  by  a  series  of 
uprisings  of  the  serfs  in  different  parts  of  Ireland  ;  and 
about  the  middle  of  the  first  century  a  success-  q^  ^^  ^^ 
ful  revolt  was  led  by  Cairpre,  the  "  Cat -headed,"    "Cat- 
who  invited  many  of  the  chiefs  and  nobles  to  a 
banquet,  and  slaughtered  them.    Cairpre  even  succeeded 
in  gaining  kingly  power,  and  the  servile  class  ^d_ 
held  a  dominant  position  for  the  greater  part   50-i30. 
of  the  eighty  years  ending  130  a.  d.  ;  in  that  year,  after 
a  series  of  fiercely  fought  battles,  the  old  line  of  kings 
once  more  came  into  power,  their  authority  being  restored 
by  Tuatal  the  Legitimate,  of  the  direct  line  of  the  Sons 
of  Milid. 


28  IRELAND'S    STORY  [a.  d.  130 

26.  The  formation  of  Meath.  Tuatal's  reign  marks  an 
epoch  in  another  way.  Ireland  had  come  to  be  divided 
into  four  kingdoms,  later  called  Ulster,  Leinster,  Mun- 
ster,  and  Connaught,   each  of  which  had  its  provincial 

king.  There  was  also  the  central  fort  at  Tara, 
in  which  the  most  powerful  chieftain  in  Ireland 
reigned  as  High  King  or  Overlord  of  the  whole  country. 
Until  the  reign  of  Tuatal,  the  High  Kings,  reigning  at 
Tara,  had  enjoyed  the  revenues  of  only  a  small  neighbor- 
ing district.  Tuatal  greatly  enlarged  this  district,  cutting 
off  a  piece  from  each  of  the  four  kingdoms,  and  form- 
ing the  pieces  into  the  Mid-Kingdom,  **  Mide  "  or  Meath, 
which  now  became  the  domain  of  the  High  King. 

27.  The  Boruma  tribute.  The  name  of  Tuatal  is  con- 
nected with  another  famous  incident  in  Ireland's  early 
history  :  the  imposing  of  the  Boruma  tribute  on  the 
kings  of  Leinster.  Its  origin  was  this  :  the  king  of 
Leinster  sought  and  obtained  in  marriage  the  hand  of 

Tuatal's  daughter,  but  soon  after  his  return 
home  she  ceased  to  please  him,  and  he  finally 
discarded  her,  keeping  her  captive  in  a  lonely  part  of  his 
moated  fortress.  Some  time  after  this,  the  king  of 
Leinster,  coming  to  Tara,  told  Tuatal  that  his  queen 
had  been  carried  off  by  death,  and  sought  in  marriage 
the  hand  of  another  daughter  of  the  High  King.  Tuatal 
gave  his  second  daughter  to  the  king  of  Leinster,  who 
brought  her  home  to  his  fortress.  By  an  accident  of 
fate  the  two  sisters  met,  and  both  were  so  horror-struck 
at  the  treachery  that  had  been  practised  towards  them 
that  they  died  of  grief.  To  punish  this  perfidy,  the 
High  King  imposed  the  Boruma  tribute  on  Leinster, 
which  was  to  be  paid  yearly  in  cattle,  sheep,  hogs,  man- 
tles, bronze  cauldrons,  and  silver.  This  tribute  was 
levied  for  five  hundred  years,  and  the  difficulty  of  collect- 


A.  D.  212] 


POLITICAL   GROWTH 


29 


PAGAN    IRELAND 


ing  it  was  the  cause 
of  many  battles. 
After  a  period  of  strife 
following  the  death  of 
Tuatal,  his  son  Fedli- 
mid  gained  the  throne. 

28.  Final  restora- 
tion of  the  old  line  of 
kings.    With  the  ac- 
cession   of    Fedlimid, 
the  legislator,  the  race 
of  Milid  finally  became 
the  dominant  power, 
and   so   remained  for 
centuries.     Conn,  son 
of  Fedlimid,  was  the  most   famous  warrior  of  his  day, 
being  surnamed  ''  of  the  Hundred  Battles,"  in  honor  of 
a  hundred  battles  which  he  was  believed  to  have  fought. 
Conn's  most  formidable  antagonist  was  Mog-     ^^ 
Nuadat.    These  two  warriors  practically  divided   divides 
Ireland  between  them,  Conn  holding  the  north-   with  wiog- 
ern  half  of  the  island,  while  the  south  remained  "uadat. 
in  the  power  of  Mog-Nuadat.     The  line  of  division  ran 
from  Dublin  to  Gal  way,  and  was  in  part  marked  by  a 
line  of  sand-hills. 

Conn  was   treacherously  slain   at  Tara,  in  the   year 
212  A.  D.,  while  he  was  preparing  to  celebrate  Death oi 
the  Feis  of  Tara,  the  great  festival  that  was   ^°^- 
celebrated  every  third  year.    Conn  is  said  to  have  been 
killed  in  his   hundredth  year.     His  grandson, 
Riada,  began  the  conquest  of  the  northern  part 
of    the  neighboring   island  of    Britain,  which  was  then 
called  Alba. 

It  must  be  remembered  that,  though  surrounded  by 


30  IRELAND'S    STORY  [a.  d.  250 

the  sea,  Ireland  was  by  no  means  cut  off  from  neigh- 
boring lands.  Ships  of  considerable  size  con- 
stantly passed  from  Ireland  to  the  Western 
Isles  and  coasts  of  Alba.  There  was  also  considerable 
commerce  between  Ireland  and  Gaul,  whose  inhabitants 
had,  even  two  thousand  years  ago,  ocean-going  ships 
which  filled  Caesar  and  the  Romans  with  admiration. 

29.  Foundation  of  the  colonial  Dalriada.  Alba 
was  at  that  time  inhabited  by  a  tribe  akin  to  the  Mile- 
sians, who  had  spent  some  time  in  Ireland  on  their  way 
northward.  They  were  called  Picts  by  the  Romans, 
from  the  Latin  word //^///i",  meaning  "painted."  Riada, 
grandson  of  Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles,  was  chief- 
tain of  a  district  in  Antrim  called  from  him  Dalriada, 
or  the  *' portion  of  Riada."  From  the  hilltops  of  his 
home,  Riada  could  easily  see  the  neighboring  coast  of 
Alba,  across  the  narrow  intervening  sea.  The  prospect 
charmed  him  so  much  that  he  finally  sailed  across  the 
shallow  strait  and  founded  a  second  Dalriada  in  Alba. 

One  of  the  tribes  of  the  Milesian-Irish  had  long  borne 
the  name  of  Scoti  or  Scots,  from  Scota,  the  wife  of 
Milid,  and  from  them  Ireland  was  sometimes  called  Sco- 
TheScoti  ^i^-  When  the  Irish  Scoti  crossed  the  strait  to 
or  Soots.  Alba,  they  carried  the  name  Scotia  with  them. 
Alba  being  then  called  Scotia  the  Lesser,  and,  later, 
Scotland.  The  Scoti  from  Ireland  brought  with  them 
to  Alba  their  civilization  and  the  Gaelic  language.  This 
Irish  Gaelic  is  still  spoken  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland 
and  in  the  Western  Isles,  and  nearly  all  the  names  of 
families  and  places  in  Scotland  are  in  this  language.  In 
comparatively  recent  times,  in  fact  until  two  or  three 
centuries  ago,  the  Gaelic  of  Scotland  was  still  called 
Irish.  On  the  other  hand,  the  tribesmen  of  Ireland 
were  called  Scots  until  the  seventeenth  century.     All  the 


254] 


POLITICAL   GROWTH 


31 


clan  names  of  Scotland  beginning  with  Mac,  meaning 
"son  of,"  as  well  as  the  word  clan  itself,  belong  to  the 
language  which  Ireland  gave  to  Scotland. 

30.  King  Cormac,  son  of  Art.  The  most  cultured 
period  of  pagan  Ireland  is  ushered  in  by  Cormac,  son  of 
Art,  son  of  Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles.  Cor-  waniorand 
mac  became  king  in  254  a.  d.,  and  is  famous  as  a  sage, 
warrior,  and  even  more  as  a  lawyer  and  a  sage.  Cormac 
is  the  ideal  king,  manly  and  handsome,  mirthful  and 
wise  :  "  Beautiful 
was  the  appearance 
of  Cormac  in  the 
assembly,"  says  an 
ancient  manuscript ; 
"  flowing,  slightly 
curling  golden  hair 
upon  him ;  a  red 
buckler  with  stars 
and. animals  of  gold 
and  fastening  of 
silver  upon  him  ;  a 
crimson  cloak  in 
wide,  descending 
folds  upon  him,  fas- 
tened at  his  breast 
by  a  golden  brooch 
set  with  precious 
stones  ;  a  neck- 
torque  of  gold 
round  his  neck;  a 
white  shirt  with  a  full  collar,  and  intertwined  with  red 
gold  thread  upon  him  ;  a  girdle  of  gold  inlaid  with  pre- 
cious stones  around  him  ;  two  wonderful  shoes  of  gold 
with    embroidery   of   gold    upon  him  ;  two  spears  with 


PLAN    OF   TARA 


32  IRELAND'S    STORY  [254 

golden  sockets  in  his  hand."  Hardly  less  celebrated  is 
his  son-in-law,  Find,  son  of  Cumal,  and  father  of  Ossin, 
the  poet.  Find  was  the  leader  of  Cormac's  standing 
army,  called  the  '' Fians  "  or  ''Fenians." 

31.  The  court  of  Tara.  We  can  trace  the  outlines  of 
Cormac's  court  at  Tara  even  now.  The  central  part  is  the 
Rath-na-Riogh,  ''  the  Fort  of  the  King,"  a  vast  oval  earth- 
work about  three  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  surrounded 
by  a  moat.  Inside  "  the  Fort  of  the  King  "  are  two  great 
mounds,  one,  the  Forradh,  or  place  of  meeting,  where 
stands  the  Lia  Fail,  "the  Stone  of  Destiny,"  on  which 
for  ages  the  kings  of  Ireland  were  crowned.  Beside 
the  Forradh  is  the  Teach-Cormaic,  "the  House  of  Cor- 
mac,"  a  circular  earthwork  about  fifty  yards  across,  where 
the  great  king  dwelt.  To  the  north  of  "  the  Fort  of  the 
King,"  and  beyond  the  rath  called  "the  King's  Chair," 
is  the  Teach-Miodh-Chuarta,  "  the  House  of  Mead," 
from  the  drink  made  of  honey,  or  "mead,"  which  was 
handed  round  in  goblets  to  the  chiefs.  The  position 
of  the  House  of  Mead  is  marked  by  the  foundations  of 
earth  which  are  clearly  visible,  and  on  which  the  walls 
of  oak  were  built.  These  foundations  show  that  the  hall 
was  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long  and  thirty  yards 
wide,  with  six  doors  on  each  side,  and  in  it  hundreds  of 
chiefs  could  easily  have  gathered  to  a  banquet.  There 
are  many  other  earthworks,  not  far  from  "  the  Fort  of  the 
King,"  which  still  bear  the  names  of  kings,  princes,  and 
princesses  of  Ireland,  whose  dwellings  of  oak  formerly 
stood  within  them. 

32.  Abdication  of  Cormac.  At  the  court  of  Tara,  in 
the  House  of  Cormac  and  the  House  of  Mead,  the  king 
listened  to  the  stories  of  Find  and  the  songs  of  Ossin  ; 
there  the  harpers  played  and  sang  their  traditional  melo- 
dies; there  the  Brehon  men-of-law  gave  judgments.    Tra- 


266]  POLITICAL   GROWTH  33 

dition  says  that  in  the  year  266  a.  d.  Cormac  was  wounded 
in  the  eye,  and  as  it  was  the  law  that  no  one  who  had  any 
personal  defect  could  rule  within  the  sacred  inclosure  of 
Tara,  he  was  compelled  to  abdicate.  He  built  cormacas 
for  himself  a  dwelling  on  the  Hill  of  Skreen,  a  lawgiver, 
where  he  delivered  many  legal  judgments  which  are  re- 
corded in  the  Book  of  Aicill  so  called,  from  Aicill,  the 
old  name  of  the  Hill  of  Skreen.  There  also  he  carried 
on  the  dialogues  with  his  son  which  record  his  wisdom. 

SUMMARY 

In  the  century  after  Concobar,  there  were  several  insur- 
rections of  the  serfs.  They  dominated  the  country  from 
A.  D.  50  to  A.  D.  130.  The  direct  line  of  the  Sons  of  Milid  was 
restored  by  Tuatal.  In  his  reign,  the  central  kingdom  of 
Meath  was  formed,  and  the  Boruma  tribute  was  imposed  on 
Leinster.  Tuatal  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Fedlimid,  and  his 
grandson,  Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles.  The  colony  of  Dal- 
riada  was  founded  in  Alba,  now  Scotland,  by  Riada,  grandson 
of  Conn.  The  name  of  Scotland  was  given  to  this  colony 
by  the  Irish  tribe  of  Scoti,  or  Scots.  King  Cormac,  another 
grandson  of  Conn,  held  his  rich  court  at  Tara. 

GENEALOGICAL   TABLE 

Tuatal  (the  Legitimate) 

I 
Fedlimid  (the  Legislator) 

I 
Conn  (of  the  Hundred  Battles) 


I  I 

Conary  Art 


I  I 

Riada  (the  Colonist)  Cormac  (the  Philosopher) 

I     Cumal 


I  I  1 

Cairbre  Ailbe  =  Find 

I 
Ossin 

I 
Oscar 


CHAPTER   V 

KING    CORMAC   AND    OSSIN 

254-293 

33.  Social  life  in  the  third  century.  The  five  king- 
doms, Ulster,  Leinster,  Connaught,  Munster,  and  Meath, 
were  now  clearly  defined,  with  Meath  in  the  centre,  pre- 
dominant over  all,  and  virtually  ruling  the  others  from 
the  Hill  of  Tara.  The  code  of  honor  was  fixed  ;  justice 
was  equally  measured  to  all  ;  social  life  had  ripened ; 
the  warriors  were  gathered  into  something  like  a  regular 
and  disciplined  army,  and  so  were  a  check  on  the  power 
of  the  king.  Classes  existed,  from  the  great  chief,  or  king, 
down  through  the  lesser  chiefs,  or  nobles,  to  the  serf  who 
was  attached  to  the  land.  Tribute  was  paid  in  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  land,  or  of  the  arts.  Embroideries  and  tap- 
estries of  great  beauty  were  made  by  the  ladies  of  the 
chiefs'  families  and  their  waiting-women.  To  women  of 
all  classes  great  freedom  and  respect  were  accorded  dur- 
ing this  period. 

34.  The  warrior-poet  Find,  son  of  Cumal.  Find,  the 
warrior,  father  of  Ossin,  was  himself  a  poet.  In  a  few 
verses  of  his,  handed  down  to  our  times,  he  has  left  us  a 
picture  of  spring,  which  shows  that,  even  in  those  remote 
days,  the  people  of  Ireland  keenly  felt  the  beauties  of 
their  native  land  :  — 

"May-day!  Delightful  time!  How  beautiful  the  color!  The 
blackbirds  sing  their  full  lay.    Would  that  Laigay  were  here  !    The 


3D  CENT.]         KING   CORMAC   AND    OSSIN 


35 


cuckoos  call  in  constant  strains.  How  welcome  is  ever  the  noble 
brightness  of  the  season!  On  the  margin  of  the  leafy  pools,  the 
summer  swallows  skim  the  stream.  Swift  horses  seek  the  pools. 
The  heath  spreads  out  its  long  hair.  The  white,  gentle  cotton- 
grass  grows.     The  sea  is  lulled  to  rest.     Flowers  cover  the  earth." 

35,  A  poem  of  Ossin.  A  wonderfully  vivid  picture  of 
the  outdoor  life,  the  gatherings,  the  sports  of  this  period. 


THE    HILL   OF   TARA 
The  mound  called  the  Forradh  is  here  shown  according  to  the  drawing  by  Wakeman 

is  preserved  in  one  of  the  few  poems  of  Ossin  which  have 
been  handed  down  to  us  from  that  remote  time.  The 
poem  begins  thus  :  — 

'■  Six  thousand  gallant  men  of  war 

We  sought  the  rath  o'er  Badamar; 

To  the  king's  palace-home  we  bent 

Our  way.     His  bidden  guests  we  went. 
'Twas  Clocar  fair. 
And  Find  was  there, 
The  Fians  from  the  hills  around 
Had  gathered  to  the  race-course  ground. 

From  valley  deep  and  wooded  glen 

Fair  Munster  sent  its  mighty  men." 

After  several  races  had  been  run,  the  king  presented 


36  'IRELAND'S    STORY  [3D  cent. 

Find,  chief  of  the  army,  and  father  of  Ossin,  the  poet, 
with  a  coal-black  steed,  addressing  him  thus  :  — 

"  Hero !  take  the  swift  black  steed, 
Of  thy  valor  fitting  meed  ; 
And  my  car,  in  battle-raid 
Gazed  on  by  the  foe  with  fear  ; 
And  a  seemly  steed  for  thy  charioteer. 
Chieftain,  be  this  good  sword  thine. 
Purchased  with  a  hundred  kine, 
In  thy  hand  be  it  our  aid." 

Find  tried  his  new  horse,  taking  it  first  to  the  broad 
strand  of  Tralee.  Later,  accompanied  by  Ossin  and 
Cailte,  Find's  adopted  son,  he  rode  south  toward  the 
lakes  of  Killarney,  where,  about  nightfall,  they  saw  a 
mysterious  house  that  none  of  them  could  remember  ever 
to  have  seen  before.  They  entered,  nevertheless,  only  to 
find,  as  Ossin  tells  us,  an  ogre  and  a  witch,  surrounded 
by  horrors,  when 

"  From  iron  benches  on  the  right 
Nine  headless  bodies  rose  to  sight. 
And  on  the  left,  from  grim  repose. 
Nine  heads  that  had  no  bodies  rose." 

Ossin  then  tells  how,  overcome  by  all  these  terrors, 
he  and  Find,  his  father,  and  Cailte  fell  at  last  into  a 
deathlike  trance,  and  slept  till  the  sunlight  woke  them 
lying  on  the  heathery  hillside,  the  house  utterly  van- 
ished away. 

36.  King  Cormac's  precepts.  Another  side  of  the 
life  of  pagan  Ireland  in  this  richest  period  is  shown  in 
the  dialogue  between  Cormac,  son  of  Art,  son  of  Conn 
of  the  Hundred  Battles,  and  Cairbre  his  son  :  — 

"  O  grandson  of  Conn,  O  Cormac,"  Cairbre  asked  him, 
"What  is  good  for  a  king  ? " 

"This  is  plain,"  answered  Cormac.     "It  is  good  for 


3D  CENT.]  KING   CORMAC   AND    OSSIN  3/ 

him  to  have  patience,  and  not  to  dispute,  self-government 
without  anger,  affabiUty  without  haughtiness.  Duties  oi 
diligent  attention  to  history,  strict  observance  ai^iie- 
of  covenants  and  agreements,  justice  tempered  by  mercy, 
in  execution  of  the  laws.  It  is  good  for  him  to  make 
the  land  fertile,  to  invite  ships,  to  import  jewels  of  price 
from  across  the  sea,  to  purchase  and  distribute  raiment, 
to  keep  vigorous  swordsmen  who  may  protect  his  terri- 
tory, to  make  war  beyond  his  territory,  to  attend  to  the 
sick,  to  maintain  discipline  among  his  soldiers.  Let  him 
enforce  fear,  let  him  perfect  peace,  let  him  give  mead 
and  wine,  let  him  pronounce  just  judgments  of  light,  let 
him  speak  all  truth,  for  it  is  through  the  truth  of  a  king 
that  God  gives  favorable  seasons." 

"  O  grandson  of  Conn,  O  Cormac,"  Cairbre  again 
asked  him,  "  what  is  good  for  the  welfare  of  a  coun- 
try .? " 

"  This  is  plain,"  answered  Cormac.  "  Frequent  assem- 
blies of  wise  and  good  men,  to  investigate  its  affairs,  to 
abolish  every  evil  and  retain  every  wholesome  j^gg^g  g,  ^ 
institution,  to  attend  to  the  precepts  of  the  country, 
seniors  ;  let  every  assembly  be  convened  according  to 
the  law,  let  the  law  be  in  the  hands  of  the  noblest,  let 
the  chieftains  be  upright  and  unwilling  to  oppress  the 
poor." 

"  O  grandson  of  Conn,  O  Cormac,"  again  asked  Cair- 
bre, "  what  are  the  duties  of  a  prince  in  the  banqueting- 
hall .? " 

''  A  prince,  on  the  Day  of    Spirits,  should  light  his 
lamps,  and  welcome  his  guests  with  clapping  of  hands, 
offering   comfortable    seats  ;    the    cup-bearers  duties  of  a 
should  be  active  in  distributing  meat  and  drink,   "y*^  ^°s*- 
Let  there  be  moderation  of  music,  short  stories,  a  wel- 
coming countenance,  a  greeting  for  the  learned,  pleasant 


38  IRELAND'S    STORY  [3D  cent. 

conversation.  These  are  the  duties  of  a  prince  in  the 
banqueting-house. " 

"  O  grandson  of  Conn,  O  Cormac,  what  is  good  for 
me  ?  " 

"  If  thou  attend  to  my  command,  thou  wilt  not  scorn 
the  old,  though  thou  art  young  ;  nor  the  poor,  though  thou 
art  well-clad  ;  nor  the  lame,  though  thou  art  swift ;  nor  the 
Advice  to  a  blind,  though  thou  seest ;  nor  the  weak,  though 
young  man.  t];iou  art  strong ;  nor  the  ignorant,  though  thou 
art  wise.  Be  not  slothful,  be  not  passionate,  be  not 
greedy,  be  not  idle,  be  not  jealous  ;  for  he  who  is  so  is 
hateful  to  God  and  man." 

37.  Political  development.  The  story  of  these  first 
centuries  illustrates  the  whole  of  early  Irish  history. 
There  is  a  strong  central  family  which  holds  the  High 
Kingship  for  generation  after  generation.  Its  rule,  how- 
ever, is  not  uninterrupted.  The  High  King  is  attacked 
again  and  again  by  other  chiefs  almost  as  powerful  as 
himself,  and  is  not  always  successful  in  defending  him- 
self. He  is  slain  in  battle,  his  followers  are  routed,  and 
powder  passes  to  another  family.  The  son,  or  perhaps  the 
grandson,  of  the  late  High  King  reorganizes  his  forces 
in  some  remote  fortress  ;  the  boys  of  his  tribe  grow 
up  and  become  warriors,  until  with  renewed  strength  he 
attacks  his  father's  slayer  and  overthrows  him.  The 
family  from  which  sprang  Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles 
in  this  way  dominated  the  first  three  centuries  in  our 
era,  though  its  rule  was  interrupted  by  two  insurrections 
of  serfs  and  by  the  reigns  of  several  rival  chieftains.  Its 
influence  was  eclipsed  by  the  military  uprising  which  cul- 
minated at  the  battle  of  Gavra. 

38.  The  battle  of  Gavra,  A.  D.  293.  This  battle  was 
fought  in  the  year  293  a.  d.  The  power  of  the  armed 
militia,  which  had  been  consolidated  into  something  like 


4TH  CENT.]       KING   CORMAC   AND    OSSIN  39 

a  regular  army  by  Find,  and  to  which  the  name  of  Fians 
or  Fenians  was  given,  had  gradually  grown  hostile  to- 
ward the  High  King,  and  a  final  struggle  to  the  death 
became  inevitable.  This  was  the  battle  of  Gavra,  fought 
close  to  the  Hill  of  Skreen,  near  Tara.     The  „  ,   , 

.      .  End  of 

conflict  was  long  and  fierce,  and  in  it  fell  Cair-  Cormac's 

bre,  the  High  King,  and  also  the  chiefs  of  the    ^^  ^' 
Fenians,  thus  closing  one  of  the  brightest  epochs  of  Irish 
history  by  the  death  of  its  most  famous  men. 

39.  Rise  of  the  family  of  Niall.  Three  chieftains  of 
other  tribes  successively  held  the  power  after  this  battle, 
their  rule  covering  several  years.  Then  an- 
other great  family  began  to  come  to  the  fore. 
Its  first  representative  was  Fiaca,  who  held 
the  High  Kingship  for  thirty  years.  He  was 
succeeded  after  four  years  by  his  son,  Muir- 
eadac,  who  reigned  for  a  like  period,  and  was 
followed  not  by  his  son,  but  by  one  of  the 
Ulster  chiefs.  The  latter  had  only  a  brief  in- 
terval of  power,  beinsf  overthrown  by  Eocaid,   ,„^,„  „^,^ 

-*■  ^~^  ^  SPEAR  HEAD 

the  son   of  Muireadac,  after  a  few  months.  7i  inches  long, 
Eocaid  retained  the  High  Kingship  for  eight      shannon  at 
years,  when  a  chieftain  of  another  family  seized 
the  supreme  power  and  held  it  for  fourteen  years.  Then 
the  High  Kingship  reverted  once  more  to  the  family  of 
Muireadac  and  Eocaid,  in  the  person  of  the  latter's  son, 
the  famous  warrior  known  as  Niall   of  the  Nine  Hos- 
tages, because  he  received  hostages  from    Ulster,  Lein- 
ster,   Munster,  Connaught,   Pictland,  Dalriada,  Britain, 
Saxonland,  and  the  Morini  of  Gaul.    Niall  held 
the  High  Kingship  for  twenty-seven  years,  and 
in  one  of  his  raids  against  the  Roman  colonies  in  North 
Britain  he  is  believed  to  have  taken  captive  the  future 
apostle  of  Ireland.    After  Niall,  the  direct  line  was  again 


40  IRELAND'S   STORY  [5TH  cent. 

broken,  and  his  nephew,  Dati,  held  the  chief  power  for 
twenty-three  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Laegaire,  the 
son  of  Niall,  High  King  during  thirty  years.  Then 
Dati's  family  once  more  came  into  power  in  the  per- 
son of  his  son,  Oilioll.  After  twenty  years,  the  family 
of  Niall  once  more  became  dominant,  Lugaid,  the  son 
of  Laegaire,  holding  the  High  Kingship  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century.  These  events  cover  the  first  five  hundred 
years  of  our  era. 

SUMMARY 

The  social  life  of  pre-Christian  Ireland  was  rich  and  highly 
developed.  Women  were  highly  esteemed.  Poetry  and 
music  were  cultivated,  Ossin,  or  Ossian,  being  the  most  fa- 
mous of  the  ancient  poets.  The  political  ideals  are  illustrated 
by  the  dialogue  between  Cormac,  the  High  King,  and  his 
son,  Cairbre.  The  history  of  Ireland,  at  this  time,  and  for 
centuries  to  come,  is  a  struggle  between  various  powerful 
famiUes  for  the  High  Kingship  of  Ireland. 

GENEALOGICAL   TABLE    OF   THE   FAMILY  OF   NIALL 

Reigns  of  those  who  became  High  Kings  are  shown  by  dates 

Fiaca,  295-325 

Muireadac,  329-359 

Eocaid,  360-368 

\ 

I  I 

Niall  (of  the  Nine  Hostages),  382-408  Fiaca 

Laegaire  Conall  Gulban  Eogan  Cairbre  Dati 

430-460        (Ancestor  of  the  O'Connells)       I  I  408-430 

I                                    I  III 

Lugaid                      Feargus  Muireadac               Cormac              Oilioll 

480-505                             I  I                             I                   460-480 

Feidlimid  Muirceartac             Tuatal 

I  505-528                528-538 
St.  Columba 


CHAPTER   VI 

INTRODUCTION    OF   CHRISTIANITY 

432 

40.  Saint  Patrick.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  century, 
Ireland  was  still  a  pagan  land  ruled  by  restless  chiefs, 
whose  people  had  reached  a  point  where  a  strong  human- 
izing influence  was  needed.  Without  this  influence,  the 
very  perfection  of  the  time  would  have  been  a  danger,-  like 
the  ripeness  which  comes  before  decay.  The  renovating 
power  came  in  the  lesson  of  loving-kindness  and  tender 
mercy  that  had  been  taught  by  the  shores  of  Galilee. 
The  messenger  was  Succat,  son  of  Calpurn,  surnamed 
the  Patrician,  or  Patricius,  a  title  given  to  Roman  citizens 
of  noble  birth.  This  messenger  is  known  to  us  as  Saint 
Patrick.  In  all  probability  his  birthplace  was  in  Scotland, 
near  the  river  Clyde,  the  northern  limit  of  the 
Roman  province  of  Britain.  The  territory 
north  of  the  Clyde  was  held  in  part  by  the  Caledonian 
Picts,  and  in  part  by  the  Scoti,  colonists  from  Ireland, 
who  brought  with  them  their  civilization  and  language. 

In  one  of  the  feuds  among  these  rival  tribes,  a  raid 
was  made  into  the  territory  of  the  Roman  province  south 
of  the  Clyde,  and  the  boy  Succat  was  taken  prisoner  and 
carried  away  captive  to  Ireland.  The  language  of  the 
Roman  province  was  Latin,  and  the  Christian  religion 
had  been  brought  thither  from  Rome.  In  the 
church  of  the  Roman  colony  both  the  father  "  ^' 
and  grandfather  of  Succat  had  held  official  rank,  but 


42  IRELAND'S    STORY  [432 

Succat  himself,  though  familiar  with  the  teaching  of  the 
Gospel,  had  not  taken  that  teaching  greatly  to  heart. 
It  came  back  to  him,  however,  in  the  days  of  his  cap- 
tivity, when  as  a  slave  he  tended  cattle  among  the  woods 
of  Slieve  Mish,  a  mountain  in  what  is  now  Antrim,  half- 
way between  Lough  Neagh  and  the  sea.  From  the 
hillside  of  Sheve  Mish,  the  exile  could  see  the  blue 
headlands  of  his  native  Scotland,  and  it  is  easy  to  believe 
that  the  teachins-s  of  his  childhood  came  back 

Captivity.  ,  .  •  ,       ^       1  1       r  1  1        •   . 

to  him  with  double  force,  as  he  gazed  wist- 
fully over  the  sea  toward  his  early  home.  The  story  of 
Saint  Patrick's  mission  can  best  be  told  by  quoting  his 
own  words  as  written  in  the  long  letter  called  the  "  Con- 
fession," and  preserved  in  the  "  Book  of  Armagh,"  the 
manuscript  of  which  was  written  in  807  A.  D. 

41.  The  "  Confession."  *'  I,  Patricius,  a  sinner,  and 
most  unlearned  of  believers,  looked  down  upon  by  many, 
had  for  my  father  the  deacon  Calpurn,  son  of  the  elder 
Potitus,  of  a  place  called  Bannova  in  Tabernia,  near  to 
Patrick  which  was  his  country  home.  There  I  was 
cMtiveto  taken  captive,  when  not  quite  sixteen.  I  knew 
Ireland.  not  the  Eternal.  Being  led  into  captivity  with 
thousands  of  others,  I  was  brought  to  Ireland  —  a  fate 
well  deserved.  For  we  had  turned  from  the  Eternal,  nor 
kept  the  laws  of  the  Eternal.  ... 

"  But  daily  herding  cattle  here,  and  Hfting  up  my  heart 
in  aspiration  many  times  a  day,  the  fear  of  the  Paternal 
His  life  in  gi"ew  daily  in  me.  A  divine  awe  and  aspiration 
captivity,  grew  in  me,  so  that  I  often  prayed  a  hundred 
times  a  day,  and  as  many  times  in  the  night.  I  often 
remained  in  the  woods  and  on  the  hills,  rising  to  pray 
while  it  was  yet  dark,  in  snow  or  frost  or  rain ;  yet  I 
took  no  harm.  The  breath  of  the  Divine  burned  within 
me,  so  that  nothing  remained  in  me  unenkindled.  .  .  . 


^432]  INTRODUCTION    OF    CHRISTIANITY  43 

"  One  night,  while  I  was  sleeping,  I  heard  a  voice 
saying  to  me  :  '  You  have  fasted  well,  and  soon  you  shall 
see  your  home  and  your  native  land.'  Soon  ms return 
after,  I  heard  the  voice  again  saying :  '  The  ship  twenty^two 
is  ready  for  you.'  Yet  the  ship  was  not  near,  years  old. 
but  two  hundred  miles  off,  in  a  district  I  had  never 
visited,  and  where  I  knew  no  one.  Therefore  I  fled, 
leaving  the  master  I  had  served  for  six  years,  and  found 
the  ship  by  divine  guidance,  going  without  fear.  .  .  . 

"  We  reached  land  after  three  days'  sail  ;  then,  for 
twenty-eight  days  we  wandered  through  a  wilderness.  .  .  . 
Once  more,  after  years  of  exile,  I  was  at  home  again  with 
my  kindred  among  the  Britons.  All  welcomed  me  like 
a  son,  earnestly  begging  me  that,  after  the  great  dangers 
I  had  passed  through,  I  would  never  again  leave  my 
home. 

"  While  I  was  at  home,  in  a  vision  of  the  night  I  saw 
one  who  seemed  to  come  from  Ireland,  bringing  innu- 
merable letters.  He  gave  me  one  of  the  let- 
ters, in  which  I  read  :  '  The  voices  of  the 
Irish.'  .  .  .  and  while  I  read,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  heard 
the  cry  of  the  dwellers  by  the  forest  of  Foclut,  by  the 
Western  ocean,  calUng  with  one  voice  to  me  :  '  Come 
and  dwell  with  us  ! '  My  heart  was  so  moved  that  I 
awoke,  and  I  give  thanks  to  my  God  who,  after  many 
years,  has  given  to  them  according  to  their  petition.  .   .   . 

"  It  were  long,  in  whole  or  even  in  part,  to  tell  of  my 
labors,  or  how  the  All-powerful  One  many  times  set  me 
free  from  bondage,  and  from  twelve  perils,  His 
wherein  my  life  was  in  danger,  and  from  name-  "Mission, 
less  pitfalls.  It  were  ill  to  try  my  reader  too  far,  when 
I  have  within  me  the  Author  himself,  who  knows  all 
things  even  before  they  happen,  as  He  knows  me,  his 
poor  disciple.     The    voice  that  so  often    guides  me  is 


44  IRELAND'S    STORY  [432^ 

divine  ;  and  thence  it  is  that  wisdom  has  come  to  me, 
who  had  no  wisdom,  knowing  not  Him,  nor  the  number 
of  my  days  :  thence  come  my  knowledge,  and  heart's  joy, 
in  his  great  and  healing  gift,  for  the  sake  of  which  I 
willingly  left  my  home  and  kindred,  though  they  offered 
me  many  gifts,  with  tears  and  sorrow. 

*'  The  people  of  Ireland,  who  formerly  had  only  their 
idols  and  pagan  ritual,  not  knowing  the  Master,  have 
gjg  now  become  his  children  ;  the  sons  of  the  Scoti 

converts.  and  their  kings'  daughter  are  now  become  sons 
of  the  Master  and  handmaidens  of  the  Anointed. 

"  Therefore  I  might  even  leave  them,  to  go  among  the 
Britons  —  for  willingly  would  I  see  my  own  kindred  and 
my  native  land  again,  or  even  go  so  far  as  Gaul,  to  visit 
my  brothers,  and  see  the  faces  of  my  Master's  holy  men. 
But  I  am  bound  in  the  Spirit,  and  would  be  unfaithful  if 
I  went.  Nor  would  I  willingly  risk  the  fruit  of  all  my 
work.  Yet  it  is  not  I  who  decide,  but  the  Master,  who 
bid  me  come  hither,  to  spend  my  whole  life  in  serving,  as 
indeed  I  think  I  shall.   .   .  . 

''Thus  simply,  brothers  and  fellow-workers  for  the 
Master,  who  with  me  have  believed,  I  have  told  you  how 
it  happened  that  I  preached  and  still  preach,  to  strengthen 
and  confirm  you  in  aspiration,  hoping  that  we  may  all 
rise  yet  higher.  Let  that  be  my  reward,  as  'the  wise 
son  is  the  glory  of  his  father.'  You  know,  and  the  Mas- 
ter knows,  how  from  my  youth  I  have  lived  among  you, 
in  aspiration  and  truth,  and  with  single  heart ;  that  I 
have  declared  the  faith  to  those  among  whom  I  dwell, 
and  still  declare  it.  The  Master  knows  that  I  have  de- 
ceived no  man  in  anything,  nor  ever  shall,  for  his  sake, 
and  his  people's.  Nor  shall  I  ever  arouse  uncharity  in 
them  or  in  any,  lest  his  name  should  be  spoken  evil 
of.  .  .  . 


432]  INTRODUCTION    OF    CHRISTIANITY  45 

*'  I  have  striven  in  my  poor  way  to  help  my  brothers, 
and  the  handmaidens  of  the  Anointed,  and  the  holy 
women,  who  often  volunteered  to  give  me  presents,  and 
to  lay  their  jewels  on  the  altar  ;  but  these  I  always  gave 
back  to  them,  even  though  they  were  hurt  by  it. 

"  If  I  have  asked  of  any  as  much  as  the  value  of  a 
shoe,  tell  me.  I  will  repay  it  and  more.  I  rather  spent 
my  own  wealth  on  you  and  among  you,  wher-  Patrick's 
ever  I  went,  for  your  sakes,  through  many  dan-  generosity, 
gers,  to  regions  where  no  believer  had  ever  come  to 
baptize,  to  ordain  teachers,  or  to  confirm  the  flock.  With 
the  divine  help,  I  very  willingly  and  lovingly  paid  all. 
Sometimes  I  gave  presents  to  the  kings,  —  in  giving 
presents  to  their  sons  who  convoyed  us,  to  guard  us 
against  being  taken  captive.  Once  they  sought  to  kill 
me,  but  my  time  was  not  yet  come.  But  they  took  away 
all  that  we  possessed,  and  kept  me  bound  till  the  Master 
liberated  me  on  the  fourteenth  day,  and  all  our  goods 
were  given  back,  because  of  the  Master  and  of  those  who 
convoyed  us.  You  yourselves  know  what  gifts  I  gave  to 
those  who  administer  the  law,  through  the  districts  I 
visited  oftenest.  I  think  I  spent  not  less  than  the  fine 
of  fifteen  men  among  them,  in  order  that  I  might  come 
among  you. 

"  The  sun  of  this  world  shall  fade,  with  those  that  wor- 
ship it ;  but  we  bow  to  the  spiritual  Sun,  the  Anointed, 
that  shall  never  perish,  nor  they  that  do  his  will,  that 
shall  endure  for  ever,  like  the  Anointed  Himself,  who 
reigns  with  the  Father  and  the  Divine  Spirit,  now  and 
ever.  .  .  . 

"  This  I  beg,  that  no  believer  or  servant  of  the  Master, 
who  reads  or  receives  this  writing,  which  I,  Patricius,  a 
sinner,  and  very  unlearned,  wrote  in  Ireland,  —  I  beg 
that  none  may  say  that  whatever  is  good  in  it  was  die- 


46  IRELAND'S    STORY  [432 

tated  by  my  ignorance,  but  rather  that  it  came  from  Him. 
This  is  my  Confession  before  I  die." 


SUMMARY 

By  the  end  of  the  fourth  century,  pagan  Ireland  had  reached 
a  high  stage  of  development,  but  the  people  needed  the  hu- 
manizing influence  which  Saint  Patrick  brought  to  them  in 
his  teaching  of  Christianity.  Patrick  was  born  in  North 
Britain,  of  noble  parentage.  While  a  boy,  he  was  brought 
as  a  captive  to  Ireland,  where  he  remained  as  a  herdsman 
for  six  years.  When  he  returned  to  his  native  land,  he 
learned  in  a  vision  that  he  was  destined  to  convert  Ireland. 
He  began  his  missionary  work  about  432  a.  d.,  and  built 
churches  and  established  schools  in  many  parts  of  Ireland. 


CHAPTER   VII 
FULFILMENT    OF    PATRICK'S    MISSION 

432-525 

42.  Difficulties  of  conversion.  In  the  Apostle's  own 
words  the  story  of  his  coming  is  simply  told.  But  while 
the  conversion  of  the  Irish  people  was,  in  one  sense,  a 
simple  task,  because  of  their  spiritual  freedom  and  open- 
ness to  new  influences,  —  in  other  words,  their  large- 
mindedness,  —  it  was  by  no  means  altogether  easy.  It 
must  never  be  forgotten  that  the  rival  chiefs,  each  in  his 
own  stronghold,  were  perpetually  fighting  among  them- 
selves, so  that  a  considerable  escort  was  needed  to  insure 
safe  conduct  from  one  province  to  another.  Patrick  was 
conducted  from  district  to  district  by  the  kings'  sons,  and 
in  return  gave  presents  for  their  protection. 

Patrick,  with  his  strong  personality  and  ever-present 

tact,  had  just  the  qualities  to  meet  these  obstacles.    His 

manner  was  that  of  an  ambassador.     He  ad-  HowPat- 

dressed    himself    to    the    chiefs    as   an    equal,   !l°^„?Z!^l 

i       '    came  these 

talking  to  them  frankly,  and  gradually  giving  difficulties, 
them  an  insight  into  his  character  and  convictions,  his 
idea  of  life,  of  the  kinship  of  soul  to  soul,  and  of  im- 
mortality. His  great  sincerity  awakened  a  responsive 
hearing  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  talked  with  him. 
He  had  a  constant  sense  of  his  divine  mission  :  "  Was 
it  without  divine  promise,"  he  asks;  "or  in  the  body 
only,  that  I  came  to  Ireland  ?  Who  led  me  ?  Who  took 
captive  my  soul,  that  I  should  no  more  see  friends  and 


48 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[43^ 


kindred  ?     Whence  came  my  inspiration  of  pity  for  the 
race  that  had  enslaved  me  ?  " 

Through  the  chiefs  he  reached  and  converted  the  peo- 
ple. He  displayed  wonderful  knowledge  of  men  and  of 
Ireland  the  world,  and  showed  an  ever-ready  urbanity 
wShout^a  ^"^  broad-minded  wisdom  in  all  his  dealings 
martyr.  with  them.  To  this  attitude  is  doubtless  due 
the  fact  that  the  history  of  the  conversion  of  Ireland 
has  no  instance  of  martyrdom. 

43.  Patrick's  first  church  and  journey  to  Tara.  He 
began  his  apostolic  labors,  and  won  his  earliest  victory, 

at  Downpatrick  —  "  The 
dwelling  of  Patrick,"  —  in 
the  district  ruled  over  by 
a  chief  who  dwelt  close  to 
the  old  royal  fort  of  east- 
ern Ulster.  This  chief 
was  soon  convinced  of  the 
sincerity  of  the  newcomer, 
offering  him  his  barn  for 
a  first  meeting-place,  and 
later  giving  him  the  land 
where  his  first  church  was 
built  in  432.  From  the 
word  "sabal,"  "a  barn," 
comes  the  name  of  Saul, 
now  borne  by  this  district. 
The  next  year,  433,  Pat- 
rick determined  to  present 
himself  at  Tara,  the  seat  of 
the  High  King,  where  Laegaire,  son  of  Niall,  reigned.  It 
He  goes  to  ^^^  Easter  Eve  when  Patrick  approached  Tara ; 
Tara.  toward  nightfall  he  lighted  the  paschal  fire  on 

the  Hill  of  Slane.     It  happened  that  King  Laegaire  and 


SHRINE   OF   SAINT  PATRICK'S    BELL 

The  shrine  was  made  about  logi  to  hold  the 

bell,  which  is  145  inches  high 


438]        FULFILMENT  OF  PATRICK'S  MISSION  49 

his  nobles  were  lighting  the  fire  of  the  spring  festival  at 
the  same  hour.  There  was  a  law  that,  while  this  fire 
was  burning,  no  other  should  be  kindled,  on  pain  of 
death.  Therefore,  when  Patrick's  fire  blazed  up  on  the 
Hill  of  Slane,  there  was  great  wonder  at  Tara,  and  Lae- 
gaire  summoned  the  Druids  and  questioned  them,  receiv- 
ing this  answer  :  ''  If  that  fire  which  we  now  see  be  not 
extinguished  to-night,  it  will  never  be  extinguished,  but 
will  eclipse  all  our  fires,  and  he  that  has  kindled  it  will 
overturn  thy  kingdom."  The  king,  in  great  rage,  sent 
to  summon  the  strangers  before  him.  It  is  said  that 
Patrick  then  composed  this  hymn,  the  oldest  Christian 
verse  in  the  Gaelic  tongue  :  — 

"  At  Tara  to-day  in  this  fateful  hour 
I  place  all  heaven  with  its  power, 
And  the  sun  with  its  brightness, 
And  the  snow  with  its  whiteness, 
And  the  fire  with  all  the  strength  it  hath, 
And  the  lightning  with  its  rapid  wrath, 
And  the  winds  with  their  swiftness  along  their  path, 
And  the  sea  with  its  deepness, 
And  the  rocks  with  their  steepness, 
And  the  earth  with  its  starkness, 

All  these  I  place 

By  God's  almighty  help  and  grace 
Between  myself  and  the  power  of  darkness." 

Easter  Sunday  dawned.  Patrick  and  his  companions, 
all  in  white,  and  the  Apostle  wearing  his  mitre  and  carry- 
ing his  crozier,  entered  the  fort  in  a  solemn  procession, 
chanting  a  hymn.  The  saint,  aflame  with  zeal,  and  un- 
daunted by  his  cold  reception,  told  the  story  of  the  Resur- 
rection and  the  divine  message  brought  thereby  to  hu- 
manity. At  King  Laegaire's  command,  the  Druids  tried 
to  meet  him  in  argument,  but  were  defeated.  The  king, 
though  not  converted  himself,  gave  Patrick  and  his  com- 


50  IRELAND'S    STORY  [444 

panions  permission  to  preach  their  doctrines  throughout 
his  dominions. 

44.  Revision  of  the  Brehon  Laws,  438.  A  strik- 
ing instance  of  Patrick's  method,  and  an  example  of  his 
foresight  and  wisdom,  are  found  in  his  attitude  toward 
the  existing  civil  and  religious  law  of  the  country,  com- 
monly known  as  the  Brehon  Laws.  In  the  words  of  the 
Preface  to  the  Sencus  Mor,  the  "  Great  Book  of  An- 
cient Law:"  ''The  judgments  of  true  nature,  which 
the  Divine  Spirit  had  spoken  through  the  mouths  of 
the  Brehons  and  just  poets  of  the  men  of  Erin,  from  the 
first  occupation  of  Ireland  down  to  the  reception  of  the 
faith,  were  all  exhibited  by  Dubtac  to  Patrick.  What 
did  not  conflict  with  the  word  of  God  in  the  written  law 
and  the  New  Testament  and  the  consciences  of  believ- 
ers was  confirmed  in  the  laws  of  the  Brehons  by  Patrick 
and  by  the  ecclesiastics  and  chieftains  of  Ireland  ;  for 
the  law  of  Nature  had  been  quite  right  except  concern- 
ing the  faith  and  its  obligations  and  the  harmony  of  the 
Church  and  people.     And  this  is  the  Sencus  Mor." 

45.  The  founding  of  Armagh.  The  work  so  prospered 
during  the  following  years,  that  in  444  a.  d.  Patrick  was 
able  to  build  a  large  church  on  a  hill  two  miles  from  the 
fortress  of  Emain  of  Maca.  The  land  was  a  gift  from  a 
ruler  who,  like  so  many  other  chiefs,  had  felt  and  acknow- 
ledged the  Apostle's  power.  Later,  this  hill  came  to  be 
called  Armagh.  The  churches  thus  founded  by  Patrick 
were  built  of  stone,  ^nd  it  is  probable  that  he  was  the 
first  to  introduce  the  general  use  of  stone  for  building 
into  Ireland,  houses  having  previously  been  made  of  wood, 
as  was  natural  in  a  land  rich  in  forests.  From  this  time 
on,  we  have  a  constant  succession  of  stone  buildings, 
while  there  are  none  of  older  date,  if  we  except  the  pyra- 
mid-chambers like  those  of  Brugh  on  the  Boyne. 


444] 


FULFILMENT  OF  PATRICK'S  MISSION 


51 


46.  Patrick  continues  his  work  of  conversion.  Pat- 
rick continued  his  journey  from  province  to  province, 
often  facing  great  dangers,  but  everywhere  making  con- 
verts, and  founding  churches,  schools,  and  monasteries. 
One  tradition  tells  us  that  he  journeyed  to  the  west  coast. 
In  some  places  his  coming  was  foretold  by  the  Druids, 
who  still  practised  soothsaying. 

The  great  tragedy  in  Patrick's  mission  was  due  to  the 

evil  act  of  a  prince  of  the  neighboring  island.      Coroticus, 

a  chieftain  of  Britain,  and  therefore  a  citizen    .  ^ 

'  A  tragedy 

of  Rome  and  nominally  a  Christian,  had  sent  inMsapos- 
marauding  bands  to  Ireland,  to  capture  slaves. 
Some  of  the  new  converts  were  taken  captive  by  these 
invaders,  an   outrage 
which  drew  forth  an  in- 
dignant protest  from 
the  great  Messenger : 
"  My  neophytes  in 
their  white  robes,  the 
anointing  of  baptism 
still  wet  and  glisten- 
ing   on     their    fore- 
heads, were  taken  cap- 
tive  with   the  sword 
by  these  murderers. 
Next  day  I  sent  let- 
ters, begging  them  to,^ 
liberate  the  baptized 
captives,  but  they  an- 


!ELL    OF    SAINT    PATRICK 


SWered  my  prayer  with    This  rude  little  bell  has  an  unbroken  history  of  over 

1400  years 

mockery   and    laugh- 
ter.    I  know  not  which  I  should  mourn  for  more  —  those 
who  were  slain,  those  who  were  taken  prisoner,  or  those 
who,  in  this,  were  Satan's  instruments,  since  these  must 
suffer  everlasting  punishment  in  perdition." 


52  IRELAND'S    STORY  [453 

He  appealed  indignantly  to  the  fellow-Christians  of 
Coroticus  in  Britain  :  "  I  pray  you,  all  that  are  righteous 
and  humble,  to  hold  no  converse  with  those  who  do  these 
things,  eat  not,  drink  not  with  them,  accept  no  gifts  from 
them,  until  they  have  repented  and  made  atonement,  set- 
ting free  these  newly  baptized  handmaidens  of  Christ, 
for  whom  he  died.  .  .  .  They  seem  to  think  that  we  are 
not  children  of  one  Father  !  " 

The  mission  of  the  Messenger  lasted  for  sixty  years. 
He  was  at  no  time  wiUing  to  desert  his  adopted  children 
Patrick's  ^^^  return  to  his  native  land,  but  faithfully 
death.  carried  on  his  task  until  it  was  completed.     Ac- 

cording to  his  own  wish,  he  was  buried  near  his  first 
church,  at  Saul. 

47.  Saint  Bridget.  Armagh  stands  for  the  work  of  Pat- 
rick the  Apostle.  The  name  of  Kildare  is  linked  with  the 
fame  of  a  personality  hardly  less  remarkable.  A  learned 
writer  says  :  "  If  Saint  Patrick  was  the  father,  Saint 
Bridget  is  the  mother  of  all  the  saintsof  Erin,  both  monks 
and  nuns."  Bridget  was  born  in  453  ;  she  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  famous  Leinster  chief.  Her  whole  life  is  sur- 
rounded by  stories  of  marvels.  She  was  miraculously 
preserved,  when  a  child,  from  a  fire  which  burned  down 
her  father's  house.  The  child  had  been  left  in  her  cot, 
and  was  found  there  uninjured,  after  the  fire  had  burned 
itself  out.  In  her,  the  quality  of  mercy  greatly  shone. 
It  is  said  that  once,  with  seven  companions,  Bridget  heard 
a  sermon  on  the  eight  Beatitudes.  Each  was  asked  to 
choose  one  of  the  virtues  there  declared  blessed,  and 
Bridget  chose  mercy  :  "  Blessed  are  the  merci- 
hermerci-  ful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy."  One  of  her 
great  works  was  a  ministry  of  help  to  the 
lepers,  then  as  now  the  most  shunned  and  miserable  of 
outcasts.    Far  more  important,  however,  than  any  single 


453]        FULFILMENT  OF  PATRICK'S  MISSION 


53 


side  of  her  work,  was  the  way  in  which  the  whole  life  of 
this  woman  of  genius  and  inspiration  raised  the  ideal  of 
womanhood  in  Ireland.     Her  influence  in  that  respect 


PLACES    MENTIONED    IN    IRISH    HISTORY    FROM    THE 
INTRODUCTION    OF    CHRISTIANITY    TO    IIOO 


lasts  to  this  day,  for  in  no  other  country  is  the  ideal  of 
womanly  purity  held  so  high. 

Saint  Bridget  founded  a  religious  establishment  at 
Kildare,  that  is,  Cil-dara,  "the  church  of  the  oak,"  so 
named   from    a   2freat   oak-tree    which    stood     ^ 

^  The  found- 

close  to  the  site  of  the  church.     As  men  and   ingofKii- 

women  studied  together  at  the  school  of  Kil-     "®' 

dare,  Saint  Bridget  selected  Bishop  Connall,  one  of  her 

relatives,  to  share  with  her  the  cares  of  its  government. 

Saint  Bridget  died  in  525. 


54  IRELAND'S    STORY  [432-525 

SUMMARY 

Patrick  met  with  many  difficulties  in  his  work  of  conversion, 
but  the  very  greatness  of  the  man  himself  helped  him  to  over- 
come all  obstacles,  so  that  Ireland  was  won  without  a  martyr. 
Patrick  revised  but  retained  the  Brehon  Laws. 

Patrick  returned  to  Ireland  as  a  missionary  in  a.  d.  432. 
He  built  his  first  church  at  Saul.  From  Saul,  he  went  to  Tara, 
where  he  met  the  Druids  in  argument,  winning  his  most  nota- 
ble victory,  and  making  many  converts.  He  founded  the 
church  of  Armagh,  the  seat  of  the  primate  of  Ireland.  He 
continued  his  journey  from  province  to  province,  everywhere 
converting  many,  and  founding  churches  and  schools.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  his  mission  lasted  sixty  years,  and  that  he  died 
in  493. 

The  womanly  side  of  Irish  sainthood  is  typified  in  Saint 
Bridget,  the  foundress  of  the  celebrated  school  and  convent  at 
Kildare.     She  was  born  in  a.  d.  453  and  died  in  a.  d.  525. 


CHAPTER   VIII 
THE    SAINTS    AND    SCHOLARS 


500-795 

48.  Early  churches  and  schools.  Saint  Patrick  and 
his  immediate  followers  founded 
many  churches,  monasteries, 
and  schools.  We  can  judge  of 
the  spread  of  his  teaching,  if  we 
remember  that  these  churches 
were  generally  sixty  feet  long, 
thus  giving  room  for  many  wor- 
shippers. One  of  the  Donagh- 
most  ancient  churches  Patrick. 
in  Ireland  is  in  Meath,  on  the 
Blackwater,  at  Donaghpatrick,  a 
name  meaning  "the  church  of 
Patrick."  It  was  founded  by  the 
apostle  on  land  given  him  by 
King  Laegaire  and  was  erected 
by  the  order  of  the  king's  bro- 
ther. In  the  century  following, 
religious  buildings  were  con- 
structed in  many  parts  of  Ire- 
HiGH  CROSS  OF  MONASTER-  laucl,  cL  uumbcr  of  whlch  have 
^°^^^  been  more  or  less  perfectly  pre- 

This  cross,  called  the  smaller  cross  i     .  - 1 

of  Monasterboice,  was  erected  in  SCrVCQ    tO  tUC     prCSCUt  Monaster- 

memory  of  Abbot  Muireadac,  who      ,  ,^  r  - 1  11.  v«:-.» 

died  in  the  tenth  century.    It  is  one  day.      OnC  Of  thC  OldCSt     °'^^^^- 

of  the  finest  crosses  in  Ireland,  and  ,  1  1     r  -i  i  -n  /r 

is  still  standing.  was  the  school  founded  at  Mo- 


56  IRELAND'S    STORY  [521 

nasterboice  in  Louth,  by  Saint  Biiite,  who  died,  tradition 

says,  on  the  day  on  which  Columba  was  born,  about  521. 

An  early  and  very  perfect  group  of  religious  buildings 

is  to  be  seen  on  an  island  on  lower  Lough  Erne,  about 

two  miles  north  of  Enniskillen.     The  island  is 

called    Devenish,    "the   island    of   the   oxen." 

The  first  religious  settlement  was  made  there  under  the 

guidance  of  Molaise  about  the  year  530  a.  d.     Another 

ij^is.  Molaise  founded  a  similar  settlement  on  Inis- 

murray.        murray,  "the  island  of  Muireadac,"  some  five 

miles  from  the  Sligo  shore.     The  house  of  Molaise,  a 

small  building  only  nine  feet  by  eight,  with  very  thick 

walls  and  a  high  stone  roof,  still  stands  exactly  as  it  was 

in  the  saint's  life. 

At  Clonmacnoise,  ''the  meadow  of  the  sons  of  Nos," 
is  another  very  ancient  foundation,  begun  in  548  by  Saint 
cionmac-  Kieran,  on  ground  given  by  Diarmaid,  who  was 
noise.  then    High  King.     It  is  on  the  bank  of  the 

great  river  Shannon,  nine  miles  below  Athlone ;  and  the 
school  which  grew  up  there  gained  a  reputation  through- 
out the  whole  of  western  Europe.  It  became  the  chief 
seminary  for  the  sons  of  the  princes  and  nobles  of  Con- 
naught. 

At  the  north  end  of  Strangford  Lough  were  two  famous 
schools.     The  first  was  founded  at  Moville,  by 

Movllle.  _    .        ^.       .  .         ,  1    1       1   o    •    . 

Samt  Fmnian,  m  the  year  555,  and  had  Samt 

Columba  as  its  most  famous  pupil.     Five  miles  to  the 

north,  close  to  the  seashore,  was  the  famous 

^^°^'        college  of  Bangor,  founded  by  Saint  Comgall 

in  555. 

About  the  same  time  Saint  Kevin  founded  a  church 
Gienda-  ^^^  school  at  Glendalough,  the  "vale  of  the 
lough.  two  lakes,"  in  Wicklow.     During  the  centuries 

which  followed,  this  was  one  of   the   best    known    and 


550] 


THE    SAINTS    AND    SCHOLARS 


57 


RUINS    ON    DEVENISH    ISLAND,   LOUGH    ERNE 

The  round  tower  is  84  feet  10  inches  high,  and  varies  from  many  other  round  towers  in 

having  a  sculptured  band  below  the  cap 


most  frequented  centres  of  religious  learning  in  Ireland. 
Saint  Kevin's  house  is  one  of  those  high-roofed  buildings 
which  we  learn  to  recognize  as  the  oldest  form  of  reli- 
gious architecture  in  Ireland.  It  is  slightly  larger  than 
the  house  of  Saint  Molaise  at  Inismurray,  but  very  sim- 
ilar. 

49.    The  third  patron  saint  of  Ireland.     Saint  Co- 
lumba  was  born  at  Gartan  in  Donegal  about  521.     His 
father  was  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Irish  Dalriada,  while  his 
mother  belonged  to  the  royal  family  of  Leinster.     Co- 
lumba  was,  in  fact,  a  great-great-grandson  of  Niall  of  the 
Nine  Hostages.     He  was  educated  first  at  the 
School  of  Clonard,  founded  by  Saint  Finnian 
about  the  year  520,  in  the  southwest  of  Meath ;  and  later 
continued  his  studies  under  the  same  teacher  po^nfled 
at  Moville,  in  County  Down,  and  under  Saint   monas- 
Kieran  at  Clonmacnoise.    In  550,  he  founded  a  Durrow 
monastery  at  Kells  in  Meath,  and  his  house,   andKeiis. 
very  similar  to  the  dwellings  of  Saint  Kevin  at  Glenda- 


58  IRELAND'S    STORY  [553 

lough  and  Saint  Molaise  at  Inismurray,  is  still  to  be  seen 
there.  In  553,  he  founded  the  monastery  of  Durrow,  in 
the  north  of  what  is  now  the  King's  County.  These 
are  only  two  among  many  churches  which  he  built  in 
the  twenty  years  before  his  exile. 

50.  Saint  Columba  exiled.  The  cause  of  his  exile 
was  as  follows  :  a  dispute  arose  over  a  copy  of  the  Book 
Dispute  ^^  Psalms,  which  Columba  made,  from  a  manu- 
with  script  belongino:  to  Saint  Finnian,  his  teacher 

at  Clonard  and  Moville.  Finnian  claimed  the 
copy.  Columba  refused  to  give  it  up.  The  dispute  was 
referred  to  King  Diarmaid.  The  king,  following  the  prin- 
ciple laid  down  in  the  Brehon  Laws  :  "  to  every  cow  be- 
longs its  calf,"  decided  that  "to  every  book  belongs  its 
copy,"  the  earliest  decision  on  copyright  recorded  in  our 
history.  He  therefore  awarded  the  copy  to  Finnian. 
Columba  refused  to  accept  the  decision,  and  appealed 
for  aid  to  his  tribe.  A  fierce  dispute  arose,  culminating 
Battle  of  ^^  ^  great  battle  at  Cooldrevin,  near  Drumcliff, 
Cooidrevin.    a  few  miles  north  of  Sliffo.     This  battle  was 

A  D    B61 

fought  in  561,  and  the  partisans  of  Columba 
were  completely  victorious.  Traditioui  says  that  three 
thousand  of  their  opponents  were  slain.  The  evil  which 
Columba  thus  brought  about  drew  down  on  him  the 
reprimand  of  the  entire  Irish  church,  and  he  was  advised 
to  seek  voluntary  exile,  which  he  did  shortly  afterward. 
Saint  Columba  went  forth  from  his  native  land  in  563 
with  twelve    companions.     From  this  fact  he  is  called 

"  The  Preceptor  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  of  Ire- 
goes  to         lan(J."     He  was  then  forty-two  years  old,  and 

has  the  lasting  honor  of  being  the  first  of  the 
Irish  disciples  to  carry  the  gospel  to  other  lands.  Co- 
lumba and  his  followers  went  to  the  little  island  of  lona, 
off  the  west  coast  of  Scotland,  which  was  then  part  of 


575] 


THE    SAINTS    AND    SCHOLARS 


59 


the  Scottish  Dalriada  (see  section  29).     Here  Columba 

founded  his  world-famed  monastery,  which  be- 

.      .  /  His  work 

came  a  centre  of  missionary  work  among  the  among  the 

wild  Picts  of  the  Scottish  mainland.     Columba  ^  °^^" 

adopted  the  same  methods  which  Patrick  had  used  in 

Ireland,  with  results  almost  as  wonderful.     Soon  churches 


HOUSE    OF    ST.    KEVIN    AT    GLENDALOUGH 
There  is  no  reason  to  question  that  this  was  once  the  habitation 
of  St.    Kevin.     The  large  building  is  the  oldest,  the  round 
belfry  being  a  later  addition 

and  schools   sprang   up  through  the  dominions  of  the 

Picts  by  hundreds. 

51.  The  Synod  of  Druim-Ceatt.     When  this  work  of 

expiation,  thus  splendidly  begun,  had  been  carried  forward 

to  success,  Columba  deemed  himself  entitled  to  „  ,    ^ 

Columba 

return  to  his  beloved  native  land.  He  visited  revisits 
Ireland  several  times,  going  from  one  of  his 
early  schools  to  another,  and  took  part  in  the  famous 
synod  of  Druim-Ceatt,  held  in  the  year  575.  Here  he 
gained  two  noteworthy  victories.  The  first  was  the 
securing  of  home  rule  for  the  Irish  colonies  in  Scotland, 
the  Scottish  Dalriada.     The  second  was  the  revocation 


6o  IRELAND'S    STORY  [575 

of  a  decree  against  the  ancient  order  of  bards,  whose 
poetry  Columba  himself  ardently  admired  and  diligently 
studied.  In  the  same  year,  he  founded  the 
religious  school  of  Drumcliff,  close  to  the  bat- 
tlefield of  Cooldrevin,  a  work  of  expiation  for  the  great 
wrong-doing  of  his  early  life. 

62.  Saint  Columba's  ability.  Speaking  of  the  won- 
derful powers  possessed  by  Saint  Columba,  his  biogra- 
pher Adamnan  says  :  **  Among  the  miracles  which  this 
same  man  of  the  Lord,  while  dwelling  in  mortal  flesh,  per- 
formed by  the  gift  of  God,  was  his  foretelling  the  future 
Prophetic  ^Y  ^^^  spirit  of  prophecy,  with  which  he  was 
spirit.  highly  favored  from  his  early  years,  and  mak- 

ing known  to  those  who  were  present  what  was  happen- 
ing in  other  places  ;  for,  though  absent  in  body,  he  was 
present  in  spirit,  and  could  look  on  things  that  were 
widely  apart,  according  to  the  words  of  Saint  Paul,  '  He 
that  is  joined  unto  the  Lord  is  one  spirit.'  Hence  this 
same  man  of  the  Lord,  Saint  Columba,  when  a  few  of 
the  brethren  would  sometimes  inquire  into  the  matter, 
did  not  deny  that  by  some  divine  intuition,  and  through 
a  wonderful  expansion  of  his  inner  soul,  he  beheld  the 
whole  universe  drawn  together  and  laid  open  to  his  sight 
as  in  one  ray  of  the  sun." 

Besides  founding  schools  and  churches  in  many  parts 
of  Ireland,  and  planting  outposts  of  Christianity  and 
learning  amongst  the  pagans  of  Scotland,  first  at  lona 
and  then  at  many  places  on  the  mainland,  Columba  was 
an  indefatigable  literary  worker.  He  wrote 
skill  and  both  in  Latin  and  in  Gaelic.  In  the  latter 
eamng.  tongue  he  composed  several  Irish  poems.  He 
used  his  knowledge  of  the  former  chiefly  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  copies  of  the  Latin  Gospels.  He  is  said  to  have 
transcribed  three  hundred  copies  of  the  Gospels.     So 


596]  THE    SAINTS   AND    SCHOLARS  OI 

great  was  his  renown  for  beautiful  penmanship  that  tra- 
dition has  ascribed  to  him  the  writing  of  the  famous 
Book  of  Kells.  It  is  true  that  this  wonderful  manuscript 
comes  from  one  of  the  monasteries  founded  by  Columba, 
but  it  was  probably  written  in  the  century  after  his 
death,  which  took  place  in  596. 

53.  How  the  early  schools  were  founded.  Let  us 
try  to  give  a  picture  of  the  founding  of  one  of  these 
schools,  and  the  life  led  by  its  inhabitants.  At  the  heart 
of  each  one  of  these  undertakings  we  find  some  man  of 
fine  character  and  strong  personality,  a  born  leader.  The 
master  and  his  disciples  gained  the  sympathy  of  a  tribal 
chief,  who  made  them  a  grant  of  land,  and  probably 
added  a  gift  of  cattle.  This  grant  consisted  of  forest, 
pasture,  and  arable  land.  It  was  generally  chosen  on 
the  bank  of  a  stream  which  supplied  pure  water  and  fish. 
The  teacher  and  his  pupils  went  with  their  axes  to  the 
woods  to  cut  down  trees  to  build  their  dwellings.  Oth- 
ers herded  the  cattle,  or  yoked  the  oxen  to  plough  up 
the  new  fields,  and  later  quarried  the  stone  to  build  their 
church.  They  themselves  made  all  the  furniture  for 
the  church  and  their  houses.  The  pupils  also  work  of  the 
studied  indefatigably  with  their  master,  learn-  schools, 
ing  to  read  and  write  both  Irish  and  Latin.  A  very  im- 
portant work  was  the  preparation  of  parchment  from  the 
skins  of  goats  and  sheep,  to  be  used  in  making  finely 
written  manuscripts  of  the  Gospels  and  other  works. 
The  schools  took  the  place  of  printing-houses,  and,  as 
the  missionary  work  spread,  not  only  in  Ireland  itself, 
but  in  Britain  and  among  many  nations  on  the  continent, 
there  was  a  great  and  increasing  demand  for  these  Irish- 
made  books.  Many  of  them  are  still  found  in  places  as 
remote  from  Ireland  as  Milan  in  Italy  and  Schaffhausen 
in  Switzerland. 


62  IRELAND'S    STORY  [634 

These  schools  in  time  received  many  gifts  in  jewelry 
and  gold  from  native  chieftains  and  those  who  attended 
Riciiesof  t^^  services  in  their  churches.  The  gold  and 
the  schools,  jewelry  were  used  to  make  beautiful  church 
vessels,  chalices,  crosses,  and  croziers,  all  decorated  in 
the  native  style,  with  embossed  tracery,  in  the  same  pat- 
terns that  were  used  for  the  initials  and  headpieces  of 
the  illuminated  manuscripts. 

The  schools  were  also  places  of  refuge  and  rest  for 

weary  travellers,  who  received  hospitality,  kindliness,  and 

care  until  they  were  ready  to  continue  on  their  way.     It 

was  the  custom  at  these  seats  of  learnino^  that 

Hospitality  ° 

totrav-  each  student  should  build  a  hut  for  his  own  use  ; 
®  "^'  and  as  some  of  the  early  colleges  had  as  many 

as  three  thousand  pupils,  they  were  more  like  towns  than 
monasteries. 

The  schools  founded  by  Columba  and  his  successors  in 
many  parts  of  Scotland  followed  the  same  model ;  and 
Schools  in  in  the  seventh  century  the  same  system  was 
anr^g-  extended  through  the  north  of  England.  The 
land.  pagan  Saxons  and  Danes  of  Northumbria  were 

the  first  to  receive  these  Irish  schools,  which  brought 
them  a  knowledge  of  reading  and  writing  as  well  as  the 
rudiments  of  the  Christian  faith.  The  monastery  of  Lin- 
disfarne,  on  an  island  off  the  coast  of  Northumberland, 
was  founded  by  the  Irish  monk  Aedan,  in  634  ;  Finan 
and  Colman,  the  second  and  third  heads  of  this  monas- 
tery, were  also  Irishmen. 

54.  Fame  of  the  Irish  schools.  Thirty  years  after 
the  founding  of  Lindisfarne,  the  English  historian  Bede 
has  an  entry  which  sheds  some  light  on  the  position  of 
the  Irish  schools  Speaking  of  an  epidemic  of  sickness 
which  ravaged  England  in  664,  he  says  :  "  This  pesti- 
lence did  no  less   harm   in  the  island  of  Ireland.     Many 


544]  THE    SAINTS   AND    SCHOLARS  6^ 

of  the  nobility  and  of  the  lower  ranks  of  the  English 
nation  were  there  at  that  time,  and  some  of  them  devoted 
themselves  to  the  monastic  life  ;  others  chose  to  apply 
themselves  to  study.  The  Scots  (Irish)  willingly  re- 
ceived them  all,  and  took  care  to  supply  them  with  food, 
as  also  to  furnish  them  with  books  to  read,  and  their 
teaching,  all  free." 

At  about  the  same  time,  Alfred,  king  of  the  North- 
umbrian 'Saxons,  studied  in  Ireland,  while  a  king  of 
France,  Dagobert  II,  passed  a  period  of  exile  in  Ireland 
and  took  the  opportunity  to  study  the  language  and  lit- 
erature of  the  country. 

55.  Political  development  during  this  period.  Dur- 
ing the  epoch  of  the  saints  and  scholars,  the  family  of 
Niall  (see  section  39)  continued  to  dominate  Ireland. 
Niall  had  several  sons,  one  of  whom,  Laegaire,  was  king 
at  Tara  when  Saint  Patrick  came ;  another,  Eogan,  gave 
his  name  to  a  principality  in  the  north,  Tir-Eogain  or 
Tyrone,  *'the  land  of  Eogan;"  a  third  son  was  Conall 
Gulban,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  territory  of  Tir-Co- 
naill  or  Tyrconnell,  "the  land  of  Conall,"  now  Donegal. 
Eogan* s  grandson,  Muirceartac,  succeeded  his  cousin, 
Lugaid,  in  the  High  Kingship,  holding  it  for  twenty- 
four  years.  He  had  three  brothers  who  gathered  a  fleet 
and  made  an  expedition  to  the  Irish  colony  in  Scotland 
in  503.  They  gradually  extended  this  colony 
into  a  kingdom.  The  kings  of  Scotland  were  of  kingdom 
descended  from  this  family,  and  the  Stuarts  °*^*'°^^*"^- 
brought  the  same  race  south  to  the  throne  of  England 
eleven  centuries  later. 

Tuatal,  the  grandson  of  Cairbre,  another  of  Niall's 
sons,  was  the  next  High  King,  holding  the  sovereignty 
for  eleven  years,  and  the  three  following  High  Kings, 
Diarmaid,  Domnall,  and    Eocaid,  were   also  descended 


64  IRELAND'S    STORY  [564 

from  Niall.  In  564,  a  rival  family  came  into  power. 
Ainmire,  the  son  of  Sedna,  gained  the  supreme  power  and 
held  it  for  three  years!  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Aed,  who  held  the  sovereignty  for  twenty-seven  years. 
The  presence  of  a  different  family  on  the  throne  of  Ire- 
land naturally  caused  trouble  between  that  country  and 
the  colony  of  the  descendants  of  Niall  in  Scotland.  The 
ruler  of  the  colony  flatly  refused  to  pay  tribute  to  King 
Aed.  Through  the  intervention  of  Saint  Cokimba,  al- 
ready recorded,  this  question  was  happily  settled  at  the 
Synod  of  Druim-Ceatt  (see  section  51)  in  the  year  574. 

56.  The  battle  of  Moira.  Domnall,  the  son  of  Aed, 
who  won  the  High  Kingship  after  a  series  of  short  and 
unimportant  reigns,  is  chiefly  remembered  for  the  battle 
Invasion  by  ^^  Moira,  fought  in  the  year  637.  Early  in  his 
congaii.  reign,  Congall,  one  of  the  Ulster  princes,  had 
been  driven  into  exile.  Congall  fled  to  Britain  and  spent 
ten  years  gaining  friends  and  collecting  an  army,  which 
he  brought  against  his  native  country,  landing  on  the 
shore  of  Belfast  Lough.  He  led  his  army  some  fifteen 
miles  inland  to  Moira,  where  he  was  met  by  Domnall, 
the  High  King.  A  battle  was  fought,  which  lasted  for 
six  days,  in  which  Congall  was  defeated  and  slain. 

A  series  of  unimportant  reigns  followed,  marked  only 

by  the  attempt  of  the  High  King,  Finnacta,  to  levy  the 

Boruma  tribute  (see  section  28)  on  Leinster. 
Boruma  ^  '      .  . 

tribute  re-      He  was    persuaded  to  relinquish    it   by  Saint 
nau  s  e  .    jYjQijj^g^  ^^^  ^j^^g  £qj.  ^  ^-j^g  ^  fruitful  source 

of  strife  was  removed.  From  the  reign  of  this  king 
until  the  coming  of  the  Danes  there  is  nothing  to  record 
in  the  political  life  of  Ireland  but  a  succession  of  battles 
in  which  the  heads  of  various  provincial  kingdoms  strug- 
gled for  the  mastery. 


500-595]         THE    SAINTS    AND    SCHOLARS  65 

SUMMARY 

Saint  Patrick  set  the  example  of  building  churches  and 
founding  schools  in  different  parts  of  Ireland.  This  practice 
was  greatly  extended  in  the  sixth  century.  The  first  Irish 
school  outside  Ireland  was  founded  by  Saint  Columba,  at 
lona  off  the  Scottish  coast,  in  563.  From  lona  missionaries 
carried  the  same  method  and  teaching  through  the  Scottish 
Lowlands  and  the  north  of  England. 

The  family  of  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages  reigned  until  the 
middle  of  the  sixth  century,  and  was  followed  by  that  of 
Ainmire,  whose  grandson,  Domnall,  won  the  battle  of  Moira. 
In  the  next  generation,  the  Boruma  tribute  (see  section  28) 
was  remitted. 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE   RAIDS    OF   THE  NORSEMEN 

795-1014 

57.  Character  of  the  Norse  invasions.  The  tribal 
warfare  rather  expressed  than  detracted  from  the  vigor 
of  the  nation's  hfe,  but  it  had  one  very  grave  defect.  It 
so  cherished  and  kindled  the  instinct  of  separateness 
that  union  in  face  of  a  common  foe  was  almost  impos- 
sible. This  was  shown  during  the  early  raids  of  the 
Norsemen,  hardy  pirates  from  the  fiords  of  Norway  and 
the  isles  of  the  Baltic.  Modern  historians  generally  write 
as  if  the  onslaught  of  the  Norsemen  had  had  a  unifying 
effect.  Some  write  as  though  their  coming  had  been  a 
Not  a  great  national  calamity,  overwhelming  the  coun- 

conquest.  try  for  several  centuries,  and  submerging  its 
original  life  under  a  flood  of  conquest.  But  if  we  are  to 
believe  the  Chronicles  of  the  time,  such  was  not  the  case. 
We  find  inroads  of  the  Norsemen,  it  is  true,  but  they 
are  only  interludes  in  the  old  life  of  storm  and  struggle, 
making  no  great  difference  to  the  masses  of  the  people. 
The  Norsemen,  being  pagans,  did  not  spare  the  churches, 
schools,   and  religious  settlements.     The   gold  and   sil- 

_   ,  ver  reliquaries,  the  jewelled  manuscript-cases, 

Destruc-  n  '  j 

tiveness       the  offerings  of  precious  stones  and  rich  orna- 

o??he"^^      ments  laid  on  the  altars,  proved  irresistible  to 

Invaders.      ^-^q  greedy  sea-kings.     They  burned  or  threw 

away  the  manuscripts,  caring  only  for   the  cases,  and 

in  this  way  many  gaps  in  the  nation's  literature  have 


8i9]  THE    RAIDS    OF   THE    NORSEMEN  6/ 

become  irremediable.  Still,  the  loss  was  less  than 
might  be  supposed,  as  many  remote  shrines  were  never 
reached,  and  in  the  periods  between  the  raids  copies  of 
manuscripts  could  be,  and, were,  made.  The  entries  in 
the  Chronicles  justify  us  in  considering  these  raids  of 
the  Norsemen  no  more  than  episodes  in  the  general 
fighting. 

58.  The  Norsemen  begin  their  raids.  The  first 
advent  of  the  Norse  raiders  is  recorded  to  Lambay 
have  taken  place  in  795  a.  d.  Lambay,  an  islands, 
island  of  considerable  extent  off  the  Dublin  coast,  some 
six  or  seven  miles  north  of  Howth  Head,  was  plun- 
dered and  burned.  There  was  a  large  and  rich  religious 
settlement  there,  with 
many  books,  which 
were  stripped  of  their 
covers  and  burned. 
Three  years  later,  the 
little  island  of  Saint 
Patrick,  six  miles  north 

of     LambaVj     met     with      This  boat  was  found  in  a  peat  bog  near  Nydam, 
■'  South  Jutland 

a  similar  fate.     It  was 

"burned  by  the  Gentiles,"  as  the  Chronicles  say,  mean- 
ing that  the  pirate  Norsemen  were  pagans,  ignorant  of 
Christianity. 

From  that  time  forward  we  hear  of  their  long  ships 

asfain  and  as^ain  hovering:  hawk-like  around  the 

°  ^^  *  lona  raided, 

coasts  of  Ireland  and  Scotland.     In  802,  and 

again  in   806,   the  settlement  of  lona  was  raided,   and 

Inismurray  was  plundered  in  the  following  year. 

In  812,  five  years  later,   the  pirates  made  their  way 

farther  round  the  coast,  and  a  great  slaughter  of  the 

people  of  Connemara  took  place.     In  819,  Howth  was 

plundered,    and   a   great   many   women   taken    captive. 


ANCIENT    DANISH    BOAT 


68 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[820 


These  captives  were  doubtless  the  first  to  bring  the  mes- 
sage of  the  2:ospel  to  the  wild  srranite  lands  of 

Captives  as    ^  ^      , .         .  \  ,  .      V,  1  •  i 

mission-       Scandmavia.     A  year  later,  in  820,  the  raiders 
*"®^"  found  their  way  to  the  southernmost  extremity 

of  Ireland,  to  Cape  Clear  Island,  off  the  coast  of  Cork. 
This  once  more  brings  to  our  notice  the  position  of  so 
many  of  the  early  religious  settlements,  on  rocky  islands 
osed  ^^  ^^^  coasts,  placed  there  to  be  well  outside 
position  of  the  turmoil  of  tribal  strife,  which  raged  uninter- 
rupted on  the  mainland.  Saint  Patrick's  island, 
and  Lambay  on  the  east,  Cape  Clear  Island  on  the  south, 
and  Inismurray  on  the  northwest,  so  well  protected  by 
the  sea  from  disturbance  at  home,  were,  by  that  very 
isolation,  terribly  exposed  to  the  foreign  raiders,  who 
made  the  sea  their  highway.  The  religious  settlements 
and  schools  of  Howth,  Moville,  and  Bangor,  all  on  penin- 
sulas, were  open  to  a  like  danger.     Therefore  we  are  hot 

surprised  to  find  that 
they  in  their  turn 
were  *'  plundered  by 
the  Gentiles  "  two 
years  later. 

69.  Native  resist- 
ance to  the  invad- 
ers. At  first,  the 
Norsemen  had  con- 
fined their  expedi- 
tions to  islands,  or  to 
coast  settlements,  and 
they  had  been  wholly  successful,  leaving  death  and  de- 
struction in  their  wake.  In  823,  we  find  them  attempt- 
ing a  raid  against  Dun-da-leth-glas,  "the  dwelling  of  the 
two  broken  fetters,"  the  great  royal  fort  beside  Down- 
patrick,  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ouoyle  River.    This 


THE    CHALICE    OF    ARDAGH 
This  chalice  is  7  inches  high  and  9J  inches  in  diam- 
eter, and  in  form  like  those  in  use  in  the  tenth 
century.     The  bowl  is  silver,  with  gold  plates  on 
the  bands 


830]  THE    RAIDS    OF    THE    NORSEMEN  69 

is  a  great  circular  earthwork,  like  those  at  Tara,  with 
a  high  mound  inside  for  the  chief's  dwelling,  and  a  moat 
skirted  by  a  lesser  exterior  earthwork,  and  filled  by  a 
channel  from  the  tidal  river.  This  "fort  of  the  two 
broken  fetters  "  was  thus  almost  impregnable  from  the 
land,  but  an  enemy  coming  by  sea  could  easily  enter  the 
channel  of  the  moat,  and  so  come  close  up  under  the  for- 
tress. The  raiders  were  successful,  but  did  not  wholly 
escape.  We  find  that  they  were  overtaken  by  the  sol- 
diers of  Dun-da-leth-glas  and  defeated  shortly  afterward. 
This  is  the  first  repulse  suffered  by  the  pirates  in  their 
incursions  against  the  coasts  of  Ireland. 

60.  The  pirates  penetrate  inland.  Three  years  later, 
they  plundered  Lusk  on  the  mainland  opposite  Lambay, 
but  in  the  same  year,  826,  they  were  twice  j^^^^  j^^_ 
defeated  in  battle,  once  by  Cairbre,  and  again  ^e«d. 
by  the  Ulster  armies.  From  this  time  on,  the  raids  of 
the  northerners  become  more  determined  and  frequent. 
The  first  pirates  seem  to  have  spread  tidino:s 

^  I-  &      Fame  ol 

among   the    northern  fiords  that   Ireland   was  Ireland's 

inexhaustibly  rich  in  jewels  and  gold,  and  all   '*^  ®^" 

kinds  of  costly  stuffs  dyed  in  red,  blue,  and  purple  ;  so 

that  swarms  of  pirates  followed  in  the  tracks  of  the  first 

adventurous  raiders. 

We  read  that  Armagh,  the  centre  of  Saint  Patrick's 

work,   and  the  chief  home  of  learning,  was   plundered 

three  times  in  830,  the  raiders  sailing  up  Car- 

lingford   Lough,  and  then  making  a  dash   of  against 

some  fifteen  miles  across  the  undulating  coun-  ^^^^^ 

try  separating  them  from  the  city  of  churches  on  the 

Hill  of  Maca.     This  is  the  first  time  they  ven-  andcion- 

tured  out  of  sight  of  their  boats.     Two  years   daikin. 

later,  they  plundered  Clondalkin,  nine  miles  inland  from 

the  Dublin  coast. 


JO  IRELAND'S    STORY  [836 

61.  The  Round  Towers  of  Ireland.  At  Clondalkin 
stands  a  Round  Tower,  which  still  marks  the  site  of  the 
old  church  and  school ;  and  round  towers  of  the  same 
form  are  found  all  over  the  country.  They  were  at  once 
bell-towers  and  places  of  refuge,  and  their  building  is  to 
be  attributed  to  the  growing  frequency  of  the  raids  of 
the  Norsemen.  The  doors  of  these  round  towers  are 
almost  always  eight  or  ten  feet  above  the  ground,  and 
were  reached  by  ladders,  which  could  be  drawn  up  by 
those  inside.  As  the  walls  were  of  great  thickness,  and 
as  very  heavy  oak  doors  were  used,  these  towers  were 
safe  even  from  fire,  and  the  refugees  could  wait  patiently 
until  they  were  relieved  by  some  neighboring  chieftain, 
or  until  the  invaders  withdrew. 

62.  The  first  permanent  Norse  settlements.  In  836, 
a  fleet  of  sixty  Norse  fighting  galleys  sailed  up  the  river 
The  capture  Boyne,  and  the  same  number,  or  perhaps  even 
of  Dublin,      ^j^g  g^^g  gj^-pg^  l^^gj.  sailed  up  the  Liffey.     In 

the  following  year,  the  Norsemen  captured  '*  the  Ford 
of  the  Hurdles,"  At-Cliat,  the  old  name  for  Dublin.  Up 
to  this  time,  the  Norse  raiders  had  come  only  in  early 
summer,  retiring  with  their  plunder  to  their  native  fiords 
a  few  months  later,  before  the  North  Sea  was  swept  by 
the  autumn  storms.  But  once  they  had  gained  a  foot- 
ing at  the  mouth  of  the  Liffey,  they  changed  their  plans, 
and  determined  to  remain  in  Ireland  through  the  winter. 

Not  until  the  year  846  was  any  definite  and  concerted 
Slaughter  attempt  made  to  oust  the  intruders.  In  that 
Norsemen  y^'^^y  the  native  powers  made  a  concentrated 
at  DubUn.  attack,  and  gained  a  victory  over  the  Norsemen 
at  At-Cliat,  slaying  twelve  hundred  of  the  pirates.  Four 
other  successful  attempts  to  beat  back  the  raiders  are 
recorded  for  the  same  year. 

About  the  same  time,  the  Norsemen  gained  a  second 


1 


853] 


THE    RAIDS    OF    THE   NORSEMEN 


71 


point  of  vantage  by  seizing  and  fortifying  a  strong  posi- 
tion in  a  great  network  of  inlets  on  the  south  coast,  where 
the  town  of  Cork  now  stands.  Their  seamanlike  cork  for- 
instincts  led  them  to  fix  their  first  intrenched  {Jfe^No«e- 
camps  at  Dublin,  Cork,  and  Limerick  —  which  men. 
remained  during  subsequent  centuries  the  great  ports  of 
the  country  on  the  east,  south,  and  west.    The  Norse 
language     still     lin- 
gers in  the  names  of 
Strangford,    Carling- 
ford,   Wexford,     and 
Waterford,  the  fiords 
o^  Strang,     Cairlinn, 
Weis,     and     Vadre ; 
and  in  the  names  of 
a-  few   of   their  set- 
tlements, like  Smer- 
wick  in  Kerry. 

63.  Beginning  of 
national  resistance. 
Four  years  after  the 
capture  of  Cork,  the 
contests  between  the 
raiders  and  the  Irish 
chieftains  grew  more 
bitter,  more  centred, 
and  more  organized. 
In  the  words  of  the 
Annals,  *'A  complete  muster  of  the  North  was  made 
by  King  Aed,  so  that  he  plundered  the  fortresses  of 
the  foreigners.  The  victory  was  gained  over  the  foreign- 
ers, and  a  slaughter  was  made  of  them.  Their  Norse  defeat 
heads  were  collected  in  one  place,  in  the  pre-  i^^ssa. 
sence  of  the  king,  and  twelve-score  heads  were  reckoned 


CIRCULAR     CASTLE     ON     THE     QUAY     AT 

WATERFORD 

Said  to  have  been  erected  by  Reginald  the 

Dane  in  1003 


72  IRELAND'S    STORY  [916 

before  him,  which  was  the  number  slain  in  that  battle, 
besides  the  numbers  of  those  who  were  wounded  and 
carried  off  by  him  in  the  agonies  of  death,  and  who  died 
of  their  wounds  some  time  afterwards." 

Far  from  uniting  against  the  Norse  invaders  in  a  single 
national  force,  however,  the  Irish  chieftains  often  made 
temporary  alliances  with  the  pagan  pirates  in  their  fights 
against  each  other.  In  this  way  we  find  an  Irish  chief 
allying  himself  with  the  foreigners  to  make  an  attack 
upon  King  Aed  two  years  after  the  contest  just  de- 
scribed. 

Three  kings  of  Ireland  gained  lasting  renown  during 
these  contests  with  the  Norsemen.  The  first  was  Niall, 
Niaii,  Mai-  SOU  of  Aed,  High  King  from  916  to  919,  who 
Great  id  Anally  fell  in  a  battle  near  Dublin,  in  which 
Brian  Boru.  the  foreigners  overcame  the  native  tribesmen. 
The  second  was  Malachi  the  Great,  who  became  High 
King  in  980.  The  third  was  Brian  Boru,  brother  of 
Mahon,  king  of  the  province  of  North  Muma,  or  Mun- 
ster.  This  region  lay  south  of  the  lower  Shannon,  and 
was  dominated  by  the  strong  settlement  of  the  Norse- 
men at  Limerick. 

Brian  and  his  brother  Mahon  were  in  perpetual  con- 
flict with  the  Norse  raiders,  alternately  defeating  them 
and  being  defeated,  but  were  finally  worsted  and  com- 
pelled to  fly  across  the  estuary  of  the  Shannon  to  the 
lakes  and  forests  of  Clare.  Brian  finally  determined  to 
Brian  de-  make  another  vigorous  effort  against  the  in- 
Norsemen  vaders,  and,  calling  a  general  assembly  of  the 
atsuicoit  tribesmen  of  North  Munster,  he  asked  them  to 
make  a  decision  for  peace  or  war.  The  tribesmen  unani- 
mously decided  for  war,  and  a  battle  was  fought  in  968, 
at  Sulcoit,  north  of  the  Galtee  Mountains,  in  what  is 
now  Tipperary,  and  the  Norsemen  were  defeated  and 


998] 


THE    RAIDS    OF    THE    NORSEMEN 


73 


put  to  flight.  The  Munster  tribesmen  pursued  them  for 
twenty  miles,  till  they  took  refuge  in  their  strong  fortress 
at  Limerick.  This  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  victories 
against  the  raiders,  who,  from  this  time  forward,  are 
generally  spoken  of  as  Danes,  though  they  came  from 
Norway  as  well  as  Denmark. 

While  Brian  directed  his  attacks  against  the  Norse  set- 
tlements of  Limerick  and  the  lower  Shannon,  the  High 
Kins:,  Malachi  the  Great,  was  making  a  like  at-  „  ,    ^. 

^'  '  ^  Malachi 

tack  on  the  Norse  settlements  in  Dublin,  and  on   attacks 

the  coast  as  far  north  as  the  Boyne.     In  979, 

he  defeated  the  invaders  near  Tara,  and  even  captured 

their  stronghold   of  Dubhn,  setting  free  two  thousand 

prisoners    whom     they    had 

taken  from  the  Irish  tribes. 

Dublin  was  recovered  by  the 

Norsemen,  but   again   taken 

by  Malachi,  in  996,  when  that 

king  captured,  among  other 

spoils,  the  golden  ring  of  a 

former  Norse  chieftain,   To- 

mar,  and  the  historic  sword 

of  Carlus,  who  had  been  slain 

in    battle   a    century   and   a 

quarter  earlier.    The  ring  of 

Tomar,  the  first  king  of  the 

Danes  of  Dublin,  had  been  handed  down  as  an  heirloom. 

The  sword  of    Carlus,   son  of  a   Danish  king,  changed 

hands  four  times,  being  carried  off  and  retaken  by  both 

Danish  and  Irish  armies. 

64.  Malachi  and  Brian  divide  Ireland  between  them, 
998.  Two  such  strong  personalities  as  Malachi  and 
Brian,  rulers  of  provinces  which  had  long  been  rivals, 
could  hardly  be  expected  to  live  in  brotherly  union  and 


DANISH  WEAPONS  OF  THE  TENTH 
CENTURY 


74  IRELAND'S    STORY  [998 

concord.  We  find  them  constantly  at  strife,  even  while 
both  were  fighting  against  the  common  foe.  They  finally 
agreed  to  divide  Ireland  between  them,  Malachi  taking 
the  northern  part,  and  handing  over  the  southern  to 
Brian.  This  arrangement  was  made  in  998,  and  not  un- 
naturally gave  great  offence  to  the  king  of  Leinster, 
whose  territory  lay  in  the  southeast  of  the  island,  and 
therefore  in  the  region  assigned  by  Malachi  to  Brian. 
The  king  of  Leinster  made  an  alliance  with  the  Danes 
of  Dublin,  and  determined  to  resist  Brian's  authority. 
Brian  and  Malachi  immediately  gathered  an  army,  and 
met  and  defeated  the  united  armies  of  the  king  of  Leinster 
and  the  Danes  in  one  of  the  valleys  of  the  Wicklow  hills. 
Four  thousand  of  the  Leinstermen  and  Danes  were  slain. 

65.  Brian  becomes  High  King.  Brian  was  too  am- 
bitious willingly  to  acknowledge  the  overlordship  of 
Malachi,  the  High  King.  He  determined  to  win  the 
Forms  alii-  chief  sovereignty  for  himself,  and  decided  to 
tte  D^es  ^^^^'^  ^^  alliance  with  the  Danes  of  Dublin  in 
ofDubUn.  order  to  strengthen  his  party.  He  married 
Gormlait,  sister  of  the  king  of  Leinster,  and  widow  of  a 
former  chieftain  of  the  Danes,  whose  son  Sitric  was  now 
their  acknowledged  leader.  This  alliance  won  over  to 
Brian's  side  both  the  king  of  Leinster  and  the  Danes  of 
Dublin,  and  Brian  presently  felt  strong  enough  to  lead 
an  army  northward  toward  Tara,  to  try  conclusions  with 
Malachi  for  the  High  Kingship  of  Ireland.  Malachi 
recognized  that  his  opponent  was  too  strong  for  him,  and 
made  his  submission.  This  took  place  in  the  year  1002, 
and  for  the  next  twelve  years,  until  he  was  slain  at 
the  battle  of  Clontarf,  Brian  was  recognized  as  the  High 
King. 

66.  The  rule  of  Brian.  As  High  King,  Brian  showed 
he  was  no  less  a  statesman  than  a  warrior.     He  ruled 


IOI4] 


THE    RAIDS    OF    THE    NORSEMEN 


75 


Ireland  from  the  fort  of  Kincora,  in  Clare.  All  over  Ire- 
land, schools  and  monasteries  had  suffered  from  the  at- 
tacks of  the  Norsemen.  Brian  rebuilt  them  and  restored 
them  to  their  former  prosperity. 
He  further  compelled  general  obe- 
dience to  the  law.  To  indicate  the 
peace  and  security  which  prevailed 
during  his  High  Kingship,  it  is 
said  that  a  lady  richly  clad  and 
wearing  a  gold  ring  could  walk 
from  one  end  of  Ireland  to  the 
other  without  the  slightest  danger 
of  molestation.  Brian  also  made 
roads,  built  bridges,  and  opened 
up  the  country  for  internal  traffic. 
A  period  of  general  well-being  be- 
gan, which  lasted  for  a  century 
and  three  quarters,  during  which 
the  genius  of  Ireland  enjoyed  a 
free  and  happy  development  almost 
equal  to  that  of  the  great  epoch  ancient  irish  harp  said 
after  the  coming  of  Saint  Patrick.  BRiA^lfloRu^''''''''^''  '''' 
67.  Quarrel  between  Brian  and  The  harp  is  32  inches  high  and 

.  has  24  strings.     The  arms  of 

the    king    of    Lemster.        1  he  kmg        the  CBrien  family  are  chased 
.  .    .        -  ,    .  on  the  front  arm 

of  Lemster  visited  his  new  ally  and 

brother-in^aw  Brian  at  .the  latter's  fortress  of  Kincora 
above  the  Shannon.  Tradition  says  that  he  quarrelled 
with  Brian's  son  at  a  game  of  chess,  and  that  from  this 
quarrel  grew  a  lasting  enmity  which  finally  determined 
the  king  of  Leinster  to  invoke  the  aid  of  the  Danes 
against  Brian  and  his  ally  Malachi.  Long  and  deter- 
mined preparations  were  made  for  the  struggle,  the 
Norsemen  summoning  allies  from  their  settlements  in 
the  Western  Isles  and  Scotland,  and  from  the  coasts  of 


'j6  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1014 

the  North  Sea.  Brian,  with  his  ally,  the  former  High 
King,  brought  the  armies  of  Ireland  to  the  level  coun- 
try on  the  north  bank  of  the  Liffey,  close  to  Dublin, 
prepared  for  the  final  conflict. 

68.  The  battle  of  Clontarf.  The  great  battle  of  Clon- 
tarf  was  fought  on  Good  Friday,  in  the  year  10 14.  The 
Site  of  the  scene  of  this  famous  conflict  was  on  the  coast, 
battle.  between  Dublin    and  the  Hill  of  Howth.     A 

wide  strand  of  boulders  is  here  laid  bare  by  the  receding 
tide.  At  the  very  verge  of  the  farthest  tide,  on  either 
bank  of  the  Liffey,  are  immense  sandbanks,  where  the 
waves  roar  and  rumble  with  a  sound  like  the  bellowing 
of  bulls.  Even  to-day  the  sandbanks  are  called  the  North 
and  South  Bull.  The  name  Clontarf  comes  from  Cluain- 
tarb,  the  "  Meadow  of  the  Bulls,"  a  name  poetically  de- 
rived from  the  roaring  of  the  waves  along  the  shore. 

Sitric,  the  Danish  chief,  had  assembled  his  forces  and 
his  allies  the  Leinstermen  within  and  around  the  walls 
of  Dublin.  Brian  and  Malachi  then  set  fire  to  the  outly- 
ing settlements,  and  the  fighting  became  general.  There 
was  little  order  or  strategy  on  either  side,  but  rather  a 
series  of  hand-to-hand  conflicts.  All  day  the  battle  raged, 
''a  spirited,  fierce,  violent,  vengeful,  and  furious  battle," 
as  the  Annals  say.  Toward  evening,  the  Danes  and 
their  allies  began  to  give  way  before  a  determined  attack 
of  Brian  and  Malachi.  As  the  tide  was  out,  the  ships  of 
the  Danes  were  at  a  considerable  distance,  with  a  wide 
stretch  of  rough  and  slippery  boulders  between.  Thus 
the  Danes  failed  to  reach  their  ships.  The  slaughter  on 
both  sides  was  great,  the  Danes  and  Leinstermen  los- 
ing seven  thousand  warriors,  while  four  thousand  of  the 
TMs  battle  Irish  army  were  slain.  Nearly  all  the  leaders  of 
^*^'  both  armies  were  killed,  Brian  the  High  King 

falling,  as  well  as  the  king  of  Leinster,  who  had  provoked 


795-1014]      THE    RAIDS    OF    THE    NORSEMEN  7/ 

the  conflict.  The  battle  of  Clontarf  closed  the  struggle 
between  paganism  and  Christianity.  The  news  of  the 
victory  of  Brian  was  rapidly  carried  across  the  sea  to  the 
distant  Norsemen,  who  were  so  impressed  with  the  story 
of  their  kinsmen's  defeat  that  they  made  no  more  raids 
against  Ireland. 

SUMMARY 

The  Norsemen  first  came  to  Ireland  from  the  coast  of  Nor- 
way in  795,  and  until  1014  their  destructive  raids  were  con- 
tinuous. They  burned  towns,  plundered  the  churches  and 
schools,  and  took  innumerable  captives,  first  attacking  the 
islands  and  settlements  on  the  coast,  and  then  venturing 
inland.  These  captives  became  missionaries  in  their  exile. 
By  about  850,  the  Norsemen  held  possession  of  such  impor- 
tant strongholds  as  Dublin,  Cork,  and  Limerick,  and  the  con- 
tests between  them  and  the  Irish  chieftains  grew  more  bitter, 
first  one  side  and  then  the  other  gaining  the  advantage. 
Famous  among  the  Irish  High  Kings  who  fought  against  the 
invaders  were  Niall,  Malachi  the  Great,  and  Brian  Boru.  At 
the  battle  of  Clontarf,  in  1014,  Brian  Boru  finally  broke  the 
power  of  the  Norsemen,  The  struggle  between  paganism 
and  Christianity  was  closed,  and  no  more  Norsemen  came  to 
Ireland. 


CHAPTER    X 

THE    MISSIONS   TO   FOREIGN    LANDS 

500-1100 

69.  The  Danes  did  not  attack  Christianity.  The 
Norse  invasions,  which  harassed  Ireland  during  more 
than  two  centuries,  did  no  lasting  or  vital  harm  either  to 
the  national  or  spiritual  development  of  the  people.  From 
a  political  standpoint,  they  caused  disturbances  which 
were  scarcely  more  than  added  incidents  to  the  general 
warfare  of  the  times.  From  a  religious  standpoint,  the 
harm  they  did  was  only  material.  When  churches  and 
monasteries  were  raided,  the  attack  was  made  in  search 
of  booty,  and  not  against  Christianity  ;  and,  if  monks  and 
nuns  were  carried  off  as  prisoners,  they  only  gained  a 
new  field  for  their  moral  energies.  We  find  them  exert- 
ing their  Christian  influence  by  preaching  the  gospel 
among  the  pirates  who  carried  them  away. 

70.  Ireland  the  bridge  over  the  Dark  Ages.  Along 
with  the  teaching  of  the  Gospels,  which  were  read  in 
Latin,  the  study  of  the  ancient  poets  and  historians  of 
Rome,  and  even  of  Greece,  was  not  neglected.  Ireland 
had  received  the  learning  and  traditions  of  Rome  while 
Rome  was  still  mighty.  The  Roman  Empire  fell,  swal- 
lowed up  by  the  tide  of  northern  savages.  Gaul  was 
overrun  by  the  Franks  ;  Spain  and  Italy  by  the  Lom- 
bards, •  Goths,  and  Vandals  ;  Britain  by  Angles,  Saxons, 
and  Danes  ;  while  Picts  and  Norsemen  devastated  the 
Scottish  lowlands,  and  destroyed  whatever  of  Roman  cul- 


6th  cent.]     the  missions  TO  FOREIGN   LANDS      79 

ture  had  penetrated  there  ;  Austria  was  swept  by  Asiatic 
nomads,  like  the  Huns  and  Magyars  ;  Russia  and  Ger- 
many, with  the  Scandinavian  lands,  were  still  pagan. 
Thus  all  Europe  was  submerged  under  a  deluge  of 
heathendom.  Ireland  was  the  one  exception,  the  ark  of 
safety  for  the  old  wisdom'  and  beauty  of  classical  days. 
It  was  the  bridge  over  the  Dark  Ages,  and,  as  soon  as 
the  flood  of  heathen  invasion  ebbed,  light  and  hope 
crossed  the  bridge,  and  were  first  carried  by  Irish  teachers 
and  preachers  to  all  the  new-formed  nations  of  Europe, 
the  great  pagan  tribes  that  were  to  be  transformed  into 
the  peoples  of  the  modern  world. 

71.  Ireland's  pagan  history  preserved  almost  com- 
plete. At  this  point,  another  view  of  Ireland's  significance 
should  be  held  in  mind.  We  know  practically  nothing 
of  the  original  life  of  the  great  pagan  peoples  who  de- 
stroyed the  Roman  Empire.  Franks,  Vandals,  Angles, 
Lombards,  and  the  rest  are  shrouded  in  complete  dark- 
ness, until  they  are  illumined  by  the  fires  of  devastation 
which  they  kindled  through  the  provinces  of  Rome. 

Outside  Greece  and  Italy,  we  have  very  few  written  re- 
cords for  the  study  of  early  European  life  in  any  country 
but  Ireland.     There  the  bards  and  heralds  had  Records  of 
woven  a  durable  fabric  of  verse  in  every  period  *^®  ^^'^s. 
of  their  ancient  history,  recording  not  only  events,  but 
also  the  whole  substance  and  tenor  of  their  lives,  with 
their  loves  and  hates,  their  hopes  and  fears,  their  ambi- 
tions and  their  longings.     This  web  of  verse  still  lived 
in  the  hearts  and  on  the  lips  of  the  bards  when  Patrick 
went  to  Ireland  and  learned  the  Irish  tongue.     In  this 
tongue  he  himself  composed  verses    after  the    ancient 
Irish  model.  Writing  was  brought  by  Patrick,  or  introduction 
even  earlier.    When  it  came,  the  ancient  verse  o*"^iti^s. 
records  were  full  of  life,  and  so  were  written  down  and 


8o  IRELAND'S   STORY  [543 

preserved.  Many  of  them  were  translated  into  Latin 
at  the  same  time,  as  the  historical  records  and  chronicles 
kept  by  the  churches  and  schools  were  written  in  Latin. 
Thus  the  ancient  traditional  literature  of  Ireland  has  been 
transmitted  to  the  modern  world  virtually  intact,  embody- 
ing the  greater  part  of  what  we  know  of  the  ancient  peo- 
ples of  northern  Europe. 

72.  Missionary  work  on  the  continent.  The  work 
of  converting  the  pagans  of  northwestern  Europe  to 
Christianity  was  carried  on  chiefly  by  Irish  missionaries, 
aided  by  men  of  continental  birth,  who  had  received  their 
religious  and  literary  training  in  Ireland.  Columba  and 
ijisii  his  associates  brought  Christianity,  learning,  and 

pioneers.  ^^^  ^q  Scotland,  and  later  to  the  pagan  Angles 
and  Saxons  of  the  north  of  England.  We  shall  now 
briefly  trace  the  work  of  Irish  missionaries  on  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe,  in  the  centuries  following  the  time  of 
Saint  Columba. 

The  best  known  of  the  continental  missionaries  was 
Coiumbanus  Columbanus,  a  Leinsterman,  born  in  543. 
In  France.  From  the  school  of  Bangor,  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  Columbanus  went  to  France,  where  he  worked 
for  about  twenty  years,  and  founded  the  two  monasteries 
of  Luxeuil  and  Fontaines.  He  was  expelled  from  Bur- 
gundy for  denouncing  the  vices  of  King  Theodoric,  and 
later  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  reigning  queen 
of  the  Franks,  who  ordered  him  to  be  sent  back  to  Ire- 
land. We  next  find  him  on  the  Rhine,  visiting  the  ruined 
monasteries  and  schools  which  had  been  devastated  by 
the  Franks  and  Goths.  He  and  his  disciples  ascended 
Gaiius  ^^^  river  toward  Switzerland.  When  they 
founds  his  reached  Lake  Constance,  Callus,  one  of  the  pu- 
monas  ery.  ^.^^  ^^  Columbanus,  decided  to  remain  there, 
and  soon  afterward,  in  612,  laid  the  foundation  of  the 


8i3]         THE    MISSIONS  TO    FOREIGN    LANDS 


8l 


monastery  of  Saint  Gall.     From  Gallus  the  Swiss  canton 
of  Saint  Gall  takes  its  name. 

Columbanus  continued  his  pilgrimage  southward  across 
the  Alps  into  Italy.  There  he  received  a  grant  of  land 
in  the  territory  between  Milan  and  Genoa,  on  „  ,    ^ 

■'  Columbanus 

which   he  founded   the  monastery  of   Bobbio.  founds 

Columbanus  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  and 
found  time  to  write  many  books,  including  a  ''  Monastic 
Rule  "  and  many  learned  letters.    He  passed  the  closing 
days  of  his  life  as  a  hermit,  in  the  mountains  of  Italy. 

Fursa,  the  apostle  of  Belgium  ;  Fridolin,  who  taught 
on  the  Rhine  ;  Cataldus  of  Lismore,  who  became  bishop 
of  Tarentum  in  the  south  of  Italy,  and  Kilian,  other  Irish 
the  teacher  of  Franconia,  show  how  widely  dis-  teachers, 
persed  and  how  influential  were  these  Irish  missions. 
Even  more  eminent  was  Virgil,  the  founder  of  the  great 
religious  settlement  at  Salz- 
burg in  Austria.  He  was 
famed  for  his  knowledge  of 
mathematics  and  science,  and 
was  the  first  among  moderns 
to  teach  that  the  earth  was 
round  and  went  round  the 
sun.  Virgil  died  in  785.  Hard- 
ly less  celebrated  was  Dem- 
cad  of  Cologne,  who  died  in 

813. 

It  is  interesting  to  note 
how  these  missionaries  trav- 
elled. They  went  in  compa- 
nies, taking  with  them  their 
books,  the  beautiful  manu- 
scripts for  which  Ireland  was  so  justly  famed.  They 
carried  no  weapons  more  formidable  than  long  staves, 


SCRIBE    AT    WORK    ON    THE     BOOK 

OF    KILUARE 

From  a  manuscript  in  the  British 

Museum 


82  IRELAND'S    STORY  [800 

and  had  leathern  wallets  and  drinking-bottles  fastened 
How  the  to  their  girdles.  For  writing,  they  used  the 
ers^Vav-^"  ^^^^  writing-tablets  of  the  Romans,  as  well  as 
eiied.  prepared  skins   or  parchments.     Excelling    in 

religious  and  classical  learning,  they  were  also  skilled 
in  music,  painting,  and  carving.  They  not  only  visited 
already  existing  monasteries,  but  often  explored  lands 
where  Christianity  had  never  been  heard  of,  such  as  Po- 
land, Bulgaria,  Russia,  and  Iceland.  Where  they  found 
a  region  which  pleased  and  attracted  them,  they  made  a 
settlement  and  worked  among  the  people. 

73.  Johannes  Scotus  Erigena,  800-875.  The  fa- 
mous universities  of  Oxford,  Paris,  and  Pavia  counted 
among  the  great  spirits  which  inspired  their  being  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  their  classical  learning  men  who 
were  worthy  pupils  of  the  Irish  schools  of  Devenish, 
Durrow,  Bangor,  and  Moville.  The  most  celebrated  of 
these  was  Johannes  Scotus  Erigena,  that  is,  "John  the 
Scot,  born  in  Erin  ;  "  the  close  friend  of  Charles  the  Bald, 
king  of  France. 

74.  Marianus  Scotus.  One  of  the  most  characteristic 
Irish  religious  settlements  on  the  continent  was  at  Rat- 
isbon,  or  Regensburg,  in  Bavaria.  Its  monastery  was 
dedicated  to  Saint  James,  and  from  it  teachers  went 
forth  to  found  many  other  *'  Scotic,"  that  is,  Irish,  monas- 
teries. The  story  of  Marianus  Scotus  is  closely  connected 
with  this  school ;  and  although  this  famous  scholar  came 
somewhat  later  than  the  epoch  we  have  been  describ- 
ing, living  at  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century,  his  life  and 
work  give  us  an  insight  into  the  character  and  methods 
of  the  earlier  missionaries. 

*'  This  holy  man  wrote  from  beginning  to  end  with  his 
own  hand  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  with  explana- 
tory comments  on  the  same  books,  and  that  not  once  or 


875]        THE   MISSIONS    TO   FOREIGN    LANDS  83 

twice,  but  over  and  over  again,  with  a  view  to  the  eternal 
reward,  all  the  while  clad  in  sorry  garb,  living  on  slender 
diet,  attended  and  aided  by  his  brethren,  both  in  the 
upper  and  lower  monasteries,  who  prepared  the  parch- 
ments for  his  use  ;  besides,  he  also  wrote  many  smaller 
books  and  manuals,  psalters  for  distressed  widows  and 
poor  clerics  in  the  same  city  toward  the  health  of  his 
soul,  without  any  prospect  of  earthly  gain.  Furthermore, 
through  the  grace  of  God,  many  congregations  of  the 
monastic  order,  which,  in  faith  and  charity  and  imitation 
of  the  blessed  Marianus,  are  derived  from  the  aforesaid 
Ireland,  and  inhabit  Bavaria  and  Franconia,  are  sustained 
by  the  writings  of  the  blessed  Marianus." 

75.  Enthusiasm  for  Irish  teaching.  It  is  easy  to 
understand  that  all  this  missionary  zeal  flowed  from  a 
sincere  and  abundant  culture  at  home.  Greek  had  early 
been  added  to  Latin,  and  some  of  the  ancient  Irish  schol- 
ars were  even  familiar  with  Hebrew.  The  fame  of  these 
schools  had  gone  abroad,  and  students  flocked  to  Ireland 
from  all  the  neighboring  countries,  and  espe- 
cially from  England,  coming  thence  in  fleet  bersof 
loads,  as  a  Saxon  writer  at  the  beginning  of  the 
eighth  century  expressed  it.  From  kings  and  nobles 
down  to  the  poorest  students,  all  were  received,  cared 
for,  and  taught,  free  of  charge,  in  the  Irish  schools.  Saint 
Finnian's  school  at  Clonard  in  Meath  had-  three  thou- 
sand pupils,  and  Bangor  in  Down  had  almost  as  many. 
Allowing  one  New  Testament  to  three  pupils,  a  thou- 
sand copies  would  be  required  for  each  of  these  schools, 
so  that  scribes  had  plenty  of  work.  The  tide  of  learning 
also  flowed  outward  from  Ireland.  Thus  a  great  divine 
of  France,  who  died  in  875  a.  d.,  writes:  "What  need 
to  speak  of  Ireland,  setting  at  nought,  as  it  does,  the 
difficulties  of  the  sea,  and  coming  almost  in  a  body  to  our 


84  IRELAND'S   STORY  [823 

shores,  with  its  crowd  of  philosophers,  the  most  intelHgent 
of  whom  are  subjecting  themselves  to  a  voluntary  exile." 
76.  Supply  of  books.  In  the  beginning,  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  get  a  sufficient  supply  of  books  for  the  new 
monasteries,  as  the  copying  of  manuscripts  was  a  slow 
matter.  Such  continental  monasteries  as  those  founded 
by  Columbanus  at  Luxeuil,  Fontaines,  and  Bobbio  got 
their  supply  of  books  from  the  Irish  schools,  and 
by  Irish  up  to  the  tenth  century  it  was  the  custom  of 
the  Irish  teachers  to  carry  books  from  their 
island  home  to  their  schools  on  the  continent.  There  are 
numerous  instances  of  donations  of  manuscripts  made 
by  Irish  scholars  to  foreign  schools.  Thus,  in  823,  a 
learned  Irishman  gave  a  number  of  books  to  the  mon- 
astery of  Bobbio.  Two  of  these  may  still  be  seen  in  the 
Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan.  Not  long  after,  in  841, 
Marcus,  an  Irish  bishop,  who  was  returning  with  his 
nephew  from  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  visited  the  monas- 
tery of  Saint  Gall  in  Switzerland.  He  was  so  charmed 
with  the  view  that  he  remained  there  for  the  rest  of  his 
life,  and,  out  of  gratitude  for  the  hospitality  he  received, 
willed  his  books  to  the  monastery. 

As  all  books  at  this  time  were  written  by  hand,  pen- 
manship was  one  of  the  most  cultivated  arts,  and  was 
carried  to  a  wonderful  degree  of  perfection.  The  scribes, 
who  were  generally,  but  not  invariably,  monks,  were  held 
B  ut  of  ^^  great  respect  by  the  people.  The  Irish  books 
the  early  were  not  only  finely  written,  but  also  orna- 
mented in  a  fashion  which  was  early  perfected 
in  Ireland.  First  the  initial  letters  were  made  larger, 
more  elaborate,  and  more  beautiful.  Then  they  were 
surrounded  with  dots  of  color,  and  finally  with  delicately 
interlaced  scroll-work,  which  was  sometimes  continued 
along  the  margin  of  the  page.     Decorated  head-pieces 


7TH  CENT.]    THE    MISSIONS  TO  FOREIGN  LANDS      85 

and  tail-pieces  were  added,  in  which  leaves,  the  figures 
of  animals  and  serpents,  and  sometimes  even  portraits 


FACSMILE  OF  A  PAGE  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  KELLS 

This  is  the  most  elegant  initial  page  in  the  book,  and  represents 
Xpi  (the  abbreviation  of  Christi)  autem  generatio,  translated 
to  Now  the  ge7teration  of  Christ.     Matt.  i.  i8 

of  saints  were  mingled  with  the  interlaced  scroll-work. 
Many  colors  were  used.  Red,  green,  pink,  blue,  and  yel- 
low, for  instance,  are  employed  in  the  illumi- 
nation of  the  Book  of  Kells. 
these  colors  made  that  after  twelve  centuries 
they  have  lost  none  of  their  original  brilliancy. 
The  Book  of  Kells  was  finished  before  the  end 
of  the  seventh  century,  and  is,  without  doubt,  the  most 


The  books 

So  well  were  ofKeiis, 

Armagh, 
Durrow, 
and  Mac- 
Durnan. 


86  IRELAND'S   STORY  [500-1100 

perfect  and  most  beautiful  manuscript  in  the  world.  It 
is  a  Latin  manuscript  of  the  Gospels.  The  Book  of  Ar- 
magh, finished  in  807,  contains  the  Confession  of  Saint 
Patrick,  the  Epistle  to  Coroticus,  and  a  Life  of  the 
apostle  of  Ireland..  The  Book  of  Durrow,  written  about 
the  same  time  as  the  Book  of  Kells,  and  the  Book  of 
MacDurnan,  written  shortly  after  the  Book  of  Armagh, 
show  the  same  admirable  workmanship. 

SUMMARY 

About  the  time  when-  Saint  Patrick  was  working  in  Ireland, 
the  Roman  Empire  was  attacked  and  conquered  by  hordes 
of  pagans  from  the  north  and  east  of  Europe.  These  pagans 
destroyed  the  institutions  of  the  Roman  Empire,  and  over- 
threw the  Christian  churches  and  schools.  A  period  of  law- 
lessness and  ignorance  began,  from  which  the  modern  nations 
of  western  Europe  gradually  emerged.  Missionaries  and 
teachers  from  Ireland  were  the  strongest  influence  in  reviv- 
ing Christianity  and  spreading  classical  learning  over  Britain, 
France,  Belgium,  Germany,  Austria,  and  Switzerland ;  and 
Irish  teachers  penetrated  as  far  as  Iceland,  Russia,  and  the  ex- 
treme south  of  Italy.  For  centuries  they  provided  all  northern 
Europe  with  books. 


CHAPTER   XI 

FROM   NORSEMEN  TO  NORMANS 

1015-1169 

77.  Malachi  again  becomes  High  King.  On  the  death 
of  Brian,  Malachi  once  more  became  High  King,  and  filled 
this  office  worthily  for  eight  years  more,  dying  in  1022, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  During  the  closing  years 
of  his  life,  he  stamped  out  the  last  sparks  of  Danish  re- 
sistance, and  once  more  defeated  the  late  allies  of  the 
Danes,  the  men  of  Leinster.  We  shall  find  the  same 
provincial  kingdom  playing  a  leading  part  in  the  events 
which  brought  the  Normans  to  Ireland,  more  than  a 
century  and  a  half  later. 

78.  The  political  divisions  of  Ireland  in  the  elev- 
enth century.   Ireland  was  at  this  time  divided  into  five 
provinces  or  provincial  kingdoms,  with  the  kingdom  of 
Meath  in  the  centre.     In  Ulster,  the  descend-  o'Neiiisof 
ants  of  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages  still  ruled,   ^^^*®'^" 
their  tribal  name  being   ''  Sons  of  Niall,"  Hy  Neill,  or 
O'Neill.     A  branch  of  the  Hy  Neill,  the  Hy  Lochlain, 
or  O'Loughlins,  at  this  time  held  the  dominant  power 
among  the  Sons  of  Niall.     In  Connaught,  the  o'Conors  of 
sons  of  Concobar,  the  Hy  Concobar,  or  O'Con-     °^^^s 
ors,  were  the  ruling  family.     In  Munster  or  Muma,  with 
its  two  divisions  of  Tuaid-Muma,  or  North  Munster,  later 
called   Thomond,    and    Deas-Muma,   or  South  O'Briens  of 
Munster,  later  called  Desmond,  the  family  of  ^^^*"- 
Brian,  victor  of  Clontarf,  dominated,  the  Hy  Brien,  or 


88  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1064 

O'Briens.  Leinster,  the  fourth  provincial  kingdom,  was 
governed  by  the  descendants  of  the  king  whom 
we  found  alUed  to  the  Danes  (see  section  65), 
and  perhaps  because  the  Leinstermen  had  shared  in  the 
defeat  of  the  Danes  at  Clontarf,  we  find  their  kingdom 
at  this  time  under  a  temporary  eclipse.  Each  of  these 
provincial  kingdoms  was  divided  into  districts,  whose 
warlike  chiefs  were  hardly  less  powerful  than  the  pro- 
vincial kings  themselves. 

79.  Struggle  for  the  High  Kingship.  The  O'Lough- 
lins  of  Ulster,  the  O' Conors  of  Connaught,  and  the 
O'Briens  of  Munster  all  equally  desired  the  title  of  Ard- 
Rig,  or  High  King,  which  carried  with  it  the  overlordship 
of  Ireland  and  the  possession  of  the  central  kingdom  of 
Meath.  The  period  after  Malachi  the  Great,  who  died 
in  1022,  is  filled  with  the  struggles  of  these  fam.ilies  to 
wrest  the  overlordship  from  each  other.  First  one  and 
then  another  gained  an  advantage,  but  none  of  the  con- 
testants was  entirely  successful  in  asserting  his  authority 
over  the  rest. 

The  first  to  gain  a  temporary  ascendency  was  Donough, 
the  son  of  Brian  Boru,  who  won  predominance  for  Mun- 
ster. He  was  deposed  in  1064,  and  the  overlordship 
passed  to  the  king  of  Leinster.  Eight  years  later,  how- 
ever, in  1072,  Munster  again  gained  the  upper  hand  under 
Turlogh  O'Brien,  grandson  of  Brian  Boru.  Meanwhile 
Ulster  had  remained  practically  independent  of  the  High 
Kings.  Turlogh  O'Brien  made  a  vigorous  effort  to 
assert  his  power  over  the  northern  kingdom,  but  was 
defeated  by  the  men  of  Ulster  at  the  old  frontier  ford 
of  At-Ferdiad,  or  Ardee,  where  Cuculaind,  the  champion 
of  Ulster,  had  long  centuries  before  defeated  Ferdiad, 
the  champion  of  the  armies  of  the  south  and  west.  The 
feud  passed  on  to  Turlogh's  son,  Murkertagh   O'Brien, 


1 134]  FROM    NORSEMEN    TO    NORMANS  89 

who  became  king  of  Leinster  in  1086.  For  a  generation 
he  fought  with  the  chief  of  the  family  of  Niall,  Donall 
O'Loughhn,  for  the  title  of  High  King. 

80.  Tigearnac's  History  of  Ireland.  It  must  not  be 
imagined,  however,  that  this  was  merely  a  time  of  warfare 
amongst  the  provincial  kings.  On  the  contrary,  science, 
art,  and  literature  flourished  greatly.  One  of  the  great 
Irish  writers  of  this  period,  Tigearnac,  the  chronicler,  "  a 
paragon  of  learning  and  history,"  as  the  Annals  call  him, 
died  two  years  after  the  accession  of  Murkertagh,  leaving 
us  his  great  Latin  history  of  Ireland.  This  history  is  a 
monument  at  once  of  the  classical  learning  of  the  Irish 
schools  and  of  the  historical  spirit  which  had  been  handed 
down  from  the  bards  and  annalists  of  pagan  times.  Ti- 
gearnac enriches  his  history  with  many  quotations  from 
Latin  and  Greek  writers  like  Eusebius,  Orosius,  Julius 
Africanus,  Josephus,  and  Jerome. 

81.  The  rock  of  Cashel.  This  was  also  the  golden 
age  of  Irish  native  architecture.  Murkertagh  O'Brien, 
king  of  Munster,  like  his  ancestors  before  him,  had  his 
great  central  fortress  on  the  rock  of  Cashel  in  Tipper- 
ary.  The  word  Cashel  means  "3.  stone  fortress."  Murk- 
ertagh made  a  grant  of  the  rock  of  Cashel  to  the  church, 
and  the  beautiful  religious  buildings  which  still  stand 
there  were  shortly  afterward  begun.  The  rock  itself  on 
which  these  buildings  stand  rises  sharply  to  a  height  of 
three  hundred  feet,  and  thus  dominates  the  whole  sur- 
rounding plain.  The  most  interesting  building  on  the 
rock  is  King  Cormac's  chapel,  built  by  Cormac  ^j 

MacCarthy,  chief  of  South  Munster,  and  conse-  Comae's 

cliapel. 
crated  in  11 34.     It  is  the  most  perfect  example 

of  native  architecture  in  Ireland.    King  Cormac's  chapel 

has   the   high    pitched    stone   roof  of   the  early  native 

churches  like  Saint  Columba's  house  at  Kells  and  Saint 


90 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1134 

Kevin's  at  Glendalough.  These  steep  stone  roofs  were 
so  well  built  and  so  strong  that  they  have  lasted  for  centu- 
ries, while  the  roofs  of  much  later  buildings,  supported 
by  wooden  beams,  have  fallen  to  ruin.  Square  towers  of 
about  fifty  feet  high  stand  on  each  side  of  King  Cormac's 


THE   ROCK   OF   CASHEL 

Cormac's  chapel  with  its  peaked  roof  and  square  towers  is  seen  in  the  middle  of  the 

group  of  buildings.    The  cap  of  the  round  tower  is  visible  on  the  right 


chapel,  one  of  them  having  a  pyramid  top.  The  arches 
in  this  chapel  are  semicircular,  in  the  style  later  called 
Norman,  but  really  handed  down  from  the  Romans. 

The  cathedral  beside  Cormac's  chapel  was  founded 
in  1 152.  It  is  a  cruciform  or  cross-shaped  church,  its 
The  ground-plan  being  in  the  form  of  a  cross.      In 

cathedral.  ^\^q  cathedral  the  arches  are  pointed,  or  what 
is  usually  called  Gothic,  and  the  clusters  of  pillars  are 
elaborately  sculptured.  Beside  the  cathedral  rises  a 
The  cross  round  tower  more  than  ninety  feet  high.  The 
oicashei.  cross  of  Cashel  stands  close  to  the  cathedral. 
At  its  base  the  kings  of  Munster  were  formerly  crowned. 


1 148] 


FROM    NORSEMEN    TO    NORMANS 


91 


82.  Archbishop  Malachias.  The  most  prominent 
figure  in  the  religious  life  of  Ireland  in  the  period  follow- 
ing the  battle  of  Clontarf  was  Mael- 
maedog,  to  whom  the  biblical  name 
of  Malachias  was  also  given.  The 
Chronicles  tell  us,  under  the  year 
1 148:  ''A  synod  was  con-  The  synod 
vened  at  Saint  Patrick's  isle  o^n^s. 
by  Maelmaedog,  successor  of  Pat- 
rick, at  which  were  present  fifteen 
bishops  and  two  hundred  priests,  to 
establish  rules  and  morals  for  all. 
Maelmaedog,  by  the  advice  of  the 
synod,  went  a  second  time  to  Rome, 
to  confer  with  the  successor  of  Pe- 
ter." A  few  months  later,  the  An- 
nals record  his  death  :  "  Malachias, 
that  is,  Maelmaedog,  archbishop  of 
the  Chair  of  Patrick,  chief  head  of 
the  piety  of  the  West  of  Europe, 
Legate  of  the  successor  of  Peter,  the 
only  head  whom  the  Irish  and  the  Foreigners  [Norse- 
men in  Ireland]  obeyed,  chief  paragon  of  wisdom  and 
piety,   a  brilliant  lamp  which   illumined   territories  and 

churches  by  preachino^  and  s^ood  works,  faith-   „    ^ 

,   .     .       .       •'^  o  ^  '  Good  deeds 

ful  shepherd  of  the  church  in  general,  —  after  ofMaia- 

having  ordained  bishops  and  priests,  and  per- 
sons of  every  degree  ;  after  having  consecrated  many 
churches  and  cemeteries  ;  after  having  performed  every 
ecclesiastical  work  throughout  Ireland  ;  after  having  be- 
stowed jewels  and  food  upon  the  mighty  and  the  needy; 
after  having  founded  churches  and  monasteries,  for  by 
him  was  repaired  in  Ireland  every  church  which  had 
been  consigned  to  decay  and  neglect,  and  they  had  been 


CORMAC'S  CROSIER 
This  crosier  was  found  in 
Cormac's  tomb,  and  is 
undoubtedly  of  contem- 
porary origin  with  the 
chapel.  It  is  12  inches 
long  and  made  of  cop- 
per. The  staff  is  de- 
stroyed 


92  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1148 

neglected  from  times  remote  ;  after  leaving  every  rule 
and  every  good  moral  in  the  churches  of  Ireland  in  gen- 
eral; after  having  been  the  second  time  in  the  legateship  ; 
after  having  been  fourteen  years  in  the  primacy ;  and 
after  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  resigned  his  spirit 
to  Heaven  on  the  second  day  of  November  and  was 
buried  in  the  monastery  of  Saint  Bernard,  at  Clara  Val- 
lis  [Clairvaux]  in  France." 

83.  The  four  archbishoprics  of  Ireland.  At  this  time 
there  were  four  archbishoprics  in  Ireland  :  at  Armagh, 
Cashel,  Dublin,  and  Tuam,  in  the  provincial  kingdoms  of 
Ulster,  Munster,  Leinster,  and  Connaught  respectively. 

The  primacy  belonged  to  Armagh,  as  it  had 

macyof        been  founded  by  Saint   Patrick.     A  sentence 

™*^  ■       in  the  Annals  shows  how  the  church  revenues 

were  raised  at  this  time  :  "  a  horse  from  every  chieftain, 

a  sheep  from  every  hearth." 

84.  Struggle  for  the  High  Kingship  continued.  (See 
section  79.)  The  kingdoms  of  Ulster  and  Munster, 
headed  by  Donall,  O'Loughlin,  and  Murkertagh  O'Brien, 
fought  steadily  for  the  overlordship  of  Ireland  for  more 
than  thirty  years.  Wearied  of  strife,  these  two  kings 
finally  left  their  thrones  and  entered  monasteries,  the 
king  of  Ulster  taking  refuge  in  a  religious  house  at  Derry, 
while  the  king  of  Munster  sought  retirement  at  the  ab- 
bey of  Lismore,  in  Waterford,  where  he  died  in  11 19. 
The  ex-king  of  Ulster  passed  away  two  years  later.  The 
strife  between  these  two  kingdoms  weakened  them  beth, 
Turiogh  and  advantage  was  taken  of  this  by  Turlogh 
becomes  O'Conor,  king  of  Connaught,  who  claimed  the 
High  King,  title  of  High  King,  and  fought  for  it  against 
Murkertagh  O'Loughlin,  king  of  Ulster,  until  his  death 
in  1 1 56.  This  Turlogh  O'Conor  is  celebrated  in  the  ar- 
tistic history  of  Ireland  as  having  ordered  the  making  of 


ii62]  FROM   NORSEMEN    TO    NORMANS  93 

the  beautiful  Cross  of  Cong,  one  of  the  finest  examples  of 
native  metal  and  jewel  work. 

85.  Reign  of  Roderick  O'Conor.  Turlogh  O'Conor 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Roderick  O'Conor,  who  car- 
ried on  the  fight  against  Ulster.  Several  characteristic 
and  important  events  and 
changes  took  place  in  his  reign, 
which  marks  the  close  of  this 
great  and  purely  Irish  epoch. 
Like  all  sovereigns  of  his  time, 
he  made  many  raids  and  incur- 
sions against  the  neighboring 
rulers,  to  bring  back  "  a  count- 
less number  of  cows."  With 
this  end  in  view  he  undertook 
a  work  which,  for  those  times, 
was  a  wonderful  piece  of 
construction  :  a  pile  ^^.^^^  ^^ 
bridge     at     Athlone,  'bridge  of 

^1  ^       •  AtMone. 

over  the  great  river 
Shannon,  in  order  to  lead  his 
army  into  Meath,  a  fertile  field 
for  his  raids.  This  bridge  was  the  first  of  its  kind  ever 
built  in  Ireland,  and  was  in  structure  something  like  the 
famous  bridge  built  by  Julius  Caesar  across  the  Rhine, 
or  like  modern  wooden  bridges  built  on  pile  foundations. 
In  1 162,  an  army  was  assembled  by  the  king  of  Ulster, 
Murkertagh  O'Loughlin,  to  march  against  At-Cliat,  that 
is,  Dublin,  and  attack  the  Norsemen  and  Leinstermen 
there.  Roderick  O'Conor  joined  the  expedi-  Attacks  the 
tion,  bringing  an  army  of  his  own  Con  naught-  Danes, 
men  and  the  men  of  Meath.  The  foray  was  suc- 
cessful, and  "a  peace  was  concluded  between  the  For- 
eigners [Norsemen]  and  the  Gaels ;  and  six  score  ounces 


CROSS  OF  CONG 
This  cross  was  made  in  1123  to  en- 
shrine a  portion  of  the  true  cross 
for  Turlogh  O'Conor.  It  is  made 
of  oak  covered  with  copper  plates 
set  with  jewels 


94  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1166 

of  gold  were  given  by  the  Foreigners  to  O'Loughlin,  and 
Gold  as  five  score  ounces  of  gold  were  paid  by  Dermot 
StteJd  O'Melaghlin  to  Roderick  O'Conor,  for  West 
of  cattle.  Meath."  Here  we  see  the  beginning  of  the 
modern  method  of  war  indemnities  paid  in  money,  as 
against  the  ancient  system  of  cattle  raiding. 

Murkertagh  O'Loughlin  died  in  1166,  and  the  claim  of 
Roderick  O'Conor  to  the  overlordship  was  admitted 
Roderick's  without  dispute.  In  the  following  year  he  con- 
ship^admit-  vened  a  general  assembly  from  all  parts  of 
ted.  Ireland.     We  have  already  described  the  great 

religious  meeting,  the  church  synod,  called  together  by 
Archbishop  Malachias  in  1148.  We  now  come  to  an 
The  great  equally  representative  civil  assembly,  the  first 
sembfy  oi  which  embraced  the  whole  country.  This  is 
1167.  how  the  Annals  describe  it  :  '*  A  great  meeting 

was  called  together  by  Roderick  O'Conor  and  the  chiefs 
of  Leat-Cuin,  both  lay  and  ecclesiastic,  and  the  chiefs  of 
At-Boy  [the  '  Yellow  Ford  '  in  Meath].  To  it  came  the 
successor  of  Patrick,  the  archbishop  of  Connaught,  the 
archbishop  of  Leinster,  the  lord  of  Brefny,  the  lord  of 
Oriel,  the  king  of  Ulster,  the  king  of  Tara,  and  Ragnall, 
son  of  Ragnall,  lord  of  the  Foreigners  [Norsemen].  The 
whole  of  their  gathering  and  assemblage  was  nineteen 
thousand  horsemen,  of  whom  six  thousand  were  Con- 
naughtmen,  four  thousand  with  the  lord  of  Brefny,  two 
thousand  with  the  king  of  Tara,  four  thousand  with  the 
lord  of  Oriel  and  the  king  of  Ulster,  two  thousand 
with  the  chief  of  Offaly,  and  one  thousand  with  the  For- 
eigners of  At-Cliat  [Dublin].  They  passed  many  good 
resolutions  at  this  meeting  respecting  veneration  for 
churches  and  clerics,  and  control  of  tribes  and  territories, 
so  that  women  used  to  traverse  Ireland  alone  ;  and  a 
restoration  of  his  prey  was  made  by  the  chief  of  Offaly 


ii66]  FROM  NORSEMEN  TO  NORMANS  95 

at  the  hands  of  the  kings  aforesaid.  They  afterwards 
separated  in  peace  and  amity,  without  battle  or  contro- 
versy, or  without  any  one  complaining  of  another  at  that 
meeting,  in  consequence  of  the  prosperousness  of  the 
king,  who  had  assembled  these  chiefs  with  their  forces." 
In  this  year,  a  second  assembly  was  called  by  Roderick 
O' Conor  to  settle  a  dispute  as  to  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  territories  of  two  neighboring  chiefs, 

Roderick  as 
both  of  the  royal  line  of  Ulster.     The  Annals  anarbitra- 

say :  "  They  arrived  at  Tir-Eogain  [Tyrone],  *"' 
and  allotted  the  part  of  it  north  of  Slieve  Gullion  [now 
the  eastern  part  of  Derry]  to  Neil  O'Loughlin  for  two 
hostages,  and  allotted  the  part  of  the  country  of  the  clan 
to  the  south  of  the  mountain  to  Aed  O'Neill  for  two 
other  hostages."  This  dispute,  half  a  century  earlier, 
would  have  been  settled  by  bloodshed, 

86.  Growth  of  national  feeling.  As  a  result  of  the 
great  assembly  convened  by  Roderick  O'Conor,  national 
feeling  began  to  assert  itself,  and  with  it  a  recognition 
of  the  method  of  conciliation  and  mutual  understanding, 
rather  than  an  appeal  to  armed  force.  Roderick  also 
established  a  fund  for  the  instruction  of  the  youth  of 
Ireland  and  Scotland  in  literature. 

SUMMARY 

Malachi  succeeded  Brian  Boru  and  ruled  till  1022.  Then 
followed  a  long  struggle  for  control  till  Roderick  O'Conor 
became  High  King  in  1156.  He  held,  in  1 167,  the  first  repre- 
sentative civil  assembly  of  the  whole  country.  Archbishop 
Malachias,  who  assembled  the  church  synod  of  1 148,  was  the 
chief  religious  figure  of  the  period.  Ireland  was  at  this  time 
divided  into  five  provinces.  There  were  four  archbishoprics. 
Progress  in  the  fine  arts  was  shown  in  Cormac's  chapel  and 
other  works  of  art  still  preserved. 


CHAPTER    XII 

THE    COMING    OF   THE    NORMANS 

1169-1199 

English  Sovereigns  : 

Henry  II,  11 54-11 89         Richard  I,  1189-1199 

87.  The  beginning  of  the  Norman  invasion.    In  the 

middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  Dermot  MacMurrogh  was 
Treason  of  king  of  Leinster.  We  have  found  the  kings  of 
MacMur-  Leinster  in  former  years  repeatedly  in  league 
rogh.  with  the  Danes  of  Dublin,  against  the  kings  of 

Meath  and  Connaught,  and  we  are  therefore  prepared 
to  find  Dermot  going  even  farther.  In  the  year  1166, 
Dermot,  who  had  been  guilty  of  a  series  of  violent  ac- 
tions, finally  rendered  himself  so  intolerable  that  Roder- 
ick O'Conor  and  other  chiefs  compelled  him  to  surrender 
his  kingdom  and  leave  the  country.  Seeking  vengeance, 
he  fled  to  England  and  appealed  to  Henry  II,  duke  of  the 

e  V  4-,  Normans  and  king  of  the  English,  to  help  him, 
Soe&s  aid 

of  Norman  promising  allegiance  in  return.  Henry's  mind 
was  preoccupied  with  the  struggle  for  his  domin- 
ions in  France,  more  than  half  of  which  country  at  that 
time  acknowledged  his  rule.  He  therefore  dechned  him- 
self to  undertake  the  reinstatement  of  Dermot,  but  per- 
mitted any  of  his  subjects  who  were  willing  to  engage 
in  the  adventure.  Dermot  immediately  secured  the  help 
of  Richard  de  Clare,  earl  of  Pembroke,  generally  known 
as  "  Strongbow,"  who  entered  his  service  as  a  mercenary. 
To  Strongbow  Dermot  promised  the  hand  of  his  daugh- 


I170]  THE    COMING   OF    THE    NORMANS  97 

ter  Eva  in  marriage,  while  two  chiefs  of  the  Welsh  Ger- 

aldines,    Maurice    Fitzgerald    and    Robert   Fitzstephen, 

were  bought  by  promises  of  Irish  land,  to  be  won  from 

Dermot's  enemies.     It  was  thus  as  mercenaries,  and  at 

the  instigation  of  a  renegade  Irishman,  that  the  Normans 

gained  their  first  entrance  into  Ireland. 

Fitzstephen  made  his  first  landing  in  one  of  the  lesser 

Wexford  harbors,  having  with  him   a  hundred  knights 

and  six  hundred  archers.     He  joined  his  forces    ,„   , 

-•  Attack  on 

to  those  of  Dermot  MacMurrogh  and  they  Wexford, 
marched  together  to  attack  the  city  of  Wex-  ^^^^' 
ford.  The  town  was  protected  by  a  wall,  which  was 
bravely  defended  by  the  garrison,  who  threw  large  stones 
and  heavy  beams  on  the  heads  of  their  assailants.  The 
Normans  were  compelled  to  withdraw  on  that  day,  and 
left  many  of  their  men  dead  behind  them,  but  they 
made  their  way  to  the  harbor,  and  burned  all  the  Irish 
ships  that  they  found  there.  On  the  following  day,  as 
they  were  about  to  renew  their  assault,  the  clergy  of 
Wexford,  wishing  to  avoid  further  bloodshed,  counselled 
the  townsmen  to  surrender,  and  Wexford  was  given  over 
to  Fitzstephen  and  his  allies.  Dermot  thus  regained  a 
foothold  in  his  former  territory.  He  then  fulfilled  his 
promises  to  his  mercenary  allies  by  making  them  grants 
of  land. 

88.  Arrival  of  Strongbow,  1170.  Roderick  O'Conor, 
king  of  Connaught,  wished  to  oppose  the  return  of  Der- 
mot, but  doubted  his  ability  to  meet  him  in  the  field.  He 
therefore  tried  more  pacific  means,  and,  seeing  the  dan- 
ger to  Ireland  from  Dermot's  example,  he  consented  to 
accept  Dermot's  return,  on  condition  that  the  latter 
should  promise  to  dismiss  his  foreign  friends.  Dermot 
consented,  in  order  to  avoid  an  attack,  but  without  any 
thought  of  keeping  his  promise. 


gS  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1170 

Dermot's  ambition  had  grown  with  his  first  success. 
He  now  determined  to  make  himself  king  of  the  whole 
Lands  at  of  Ireland,  and  proceeded  to  secure  the  help  of 
waterford.  Strongbow,  who  landed  at  Waterford  in  the 
summer  of  1170,  with  about  three  thousand  men.  What 
followed  is  thus  recorded  in  the  Annals  :  '*'  Robert  Fitz- 
stephen  and  Earl  Strongbow  came  from  Saxonland  into 
Erin  with  a  numerous  force,  and  many  knights  and 
archers,  in  the  army  of  Dermot  MacMurrogh,  to  contest 
Leinster  for  him,  and  to  disturb  the  Gaels  of  Erin  in 
general ;  and  MacMurrogh  gave  his  daughter  to  Earl 
Strongbow  for  coming  into  the  army.  They  took  Wex- 
ford and  Waterford  by  force  .  .  .  and  they  killed  seven 
hundred  persons  there.  An  army  was  led  by  Roderick 
O'Conor  with  the  lord  of  Brefny  and  the  lord  of  Oriel 
against  Leinster  and  the  Foreigners  aforesaid,  and  there 
was  a  challenge  of  battle  between  them  for  the  space 
of  three  days."     This  contest  was  indecisive. 

The  most  noteworthy  event  of  Strongbow's  first 
invasion  was  the  plundering  and  slaughter  of  the  Danes 
of  Dublin  by  the  new  invaders.  The  earlier  Norsemen, 
as  we  saw,  were  pagans  ;  but  before  this  time  they  had 
Slaughter  all  been  converted  to  Christianity.  Filled  with 
DaSe^sat  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^  approach  of  Dermot  and  his  allies, 
Dublin.  the  Danes  sent  their  archbishop,  Laurence 
O'Toole,  to  negotiate  terms  of  surrender  for  them.  But 
while  the  terms  were  being  discussed,  the  Normans  at- 
tacked the  Danes  in  their  fortress,  and  slew  great  num- 
bers of  them. 

89.  National  resistance,  1170-1171.  In  the  follow- 
ing year,  Dermot  of  Leinster  died  of  a  lingering  disease, 
regarded  by  his  countrymen  as  a  divine  punishment  for 
bringing  the  invaders.  His  allies,  the  Normans,  with 
Strongbow  as  their  leader,  were  hemmed  in  at  Dublin. 


I  1 72] 


THE    COMING   OF    THE    NORMANS 


99 


Archbishop  O'Toole 
traversed  the  length 
and  breadth  of  Ire- 
land, calling  on  the 
provincial  kings  and 
chiefs  to  unite 
against  the  invad- 
ers ;  and  presently  a 
strong  army  under 
Roderick  O'Conor 
was  advancing 

against  the  Nor- 
mans. After  a  two 
months'  siege,  dur- 
ing which  Dublin 
suffered  from  fam- 
ine, the  Normans  de- 
termined on  a  sortie. 
It  was  so  successful 
that  Roderick's  army 
was      driven     back, 

and   the    Normans  plundered  his    camp,   taking   provi- 
sions enough  to  supply  the  city  for  another  year's  siege. 
90.    Expedition  of  King  Henry  the  Second,  1171- 
1172.     While  these  events  were  going   on,   Henry  II 
had    reached  a   settlement   of  his   affairs  in   the   west 
of  France,  and   found  himself  free  to  turn  toward  Ire- 
land.    Gathering  a  large   army  of  some   ten  thousand 
men,  under  renowned  Norman  warriors,  he  put  them 
on  board  a  numerous'  fleet,  and  sailed  to  Dublin.     The 
provincial  kings  and  chiefs  of  Ireland  believed  ^^^^ 
that  they  were  too  weak  to  resist  this  formi-  princes 
dable  invasion,  though,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
Roderick    O'Conor  had    a  short  time    before  gathered 


NORMAN    KNIGHT    AND    FOOT-SOLDIER 


lOO  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1172 

nearly  twenty  thousand  horsemen  with  their  chiefs  to  a 
general  assembly.  The  chiefs  made  their  submission  to 
Henry,  and  gave  hostages,  as  they  had  so  often  done 
to  each  other  in  their  tribal  wars.  Henry  rewarded 
his  Norman  followers  by  grants  of  land.  To  Sir  Hugh 
Grants  to  ^^  Lacy  he  granted  Meath.  Leinster  was  as- 
Norman  signed  to  Strongbow,  the  city  of  Dublin  ex- 
cepted. Sir  John  de  Courcy  received  a  large 
district  in  the  north,  with  the  title  of  "  Earl  of  Ulster." 
Henry  himself  added  the  title  '*  King  of  the  Irish  "  to 
that  of  "  King  of  France  and  England,"  which  he  al- 
ready bore.  Dublin  was  given  to  a  colony  from  the  west 
of  England,  especially  from  the  town  of  Bristol,  and  De 
Lacy  was  appointed  governor. 

Henry  left  Norman  governors  in  all  the  chief  cities, 
and,  thinking  that  everything  was  secure,  he  sailed 
back  to  England.  No  sooner  had  he  departed,  than  a 
Weakness  series  of  Struggles  began  between  the  Irish 
Norman  chicfs  and  the  Norman  intruders,  and  among 
position.  the  native  chiefs  themselves.  Henry  hoped  to 
restore  order  by  giving  greater  authority  to  Strongbow, 
and  making  him  lord  lieutenant,  as  he  was  the  most 
powerful  of  the  Norman  invaders.  By  whatever  name 
the  king's  representative  in  Ireland  was  called,  his  posi- 
tion was  subject  to  a  serious  weakness.  The  king  of 
England,  fearing  that  his  lord  lieutenant  might  try  to 
Difficulties  make  himself  king  over  Ireland,  and  an  inde- 
ii*euten-^^  pendent  monarch,  never  gave  him  a  sufficiently 
a»ts.  large  force  to  make  his  position  really  secure. 

Neither  the  Norman  nobles  nor  the  Irish  princes  greatly 
heeded  the  commands  of  the  lord  lieutenant  any  more 
than  they  did  those  of  the  king  of  England  except  when 
he  was  actually  present,  at  the  head  of  an  army.  Nor- 
man nobles  and  Irish  princes  lived  and  ruled  like  inde- 


1 172]  THE    COMING   OF   THE    NORMANS  lOl 

pendent  sovereigns  in  their  respective  districts,  raiding 
and  fighting  among  themselves,  as  in  the  preceding  ages. 
91.  Who  the  Normans  were.  It  should  be  clearly- 
held  in  mind  that  these  invaders  were  not  English.  They 
were  neither  Angles  nor  Saxons.  They  were,  on  the 
contrary,  Normans,  speaking  French,  with  French  fam- 
ily-names. The  French  Normans  were  the  descendants 
of  a  band  of  Norse  raiders  very  like  those  who  devas- 
tated Lambay  and  Howth,  who  had  gained  a  _ 

J  ^  Descendants 

footing  in  the  north  of  France  under  a  cele-  of  Norse 
brated  chieftain,  Rollo  or  Rolf,  surnamed  "  the 
Ganger,"  that  is,  "the  walker,"  because  he  was  so  tall 
that  his  feet  touched  the  ground  under  his  horse's  sides. 
These  Norse  raiders  of  France  settled  in  their  new  coun- 
try, called  Normandy  in  remembrance  of  their  northern 
home,  married  French  wives,  and  adopted  the  French 
tongue  and  the  laws  and  customs  of  France.  Under 
their  great  duke,  William  of  Normandy,  they  conquest  of 
had  invaded  England  over  a  century  earlier,  Britain, 
vanquishing  the  English  king,  Harold,  at  Hastings  in 
1066.  The  Angles  and  Saxons  were  reduced  to  servi- 
tude, and  England  had  a  Norman  king  and  a  Norman 
nobility,  speaking  the  French  language,  which  was  for  a 
long  time  the  official  language  of  Britain.  They  looked 
to  France  as  their  native  land,  in  which  their  sovereign 
owned  his  largest  territory  ;  and  they  regarded  England 
as  a  recently  conquered  and  vassal  country.  Three  or 
four  generations  later,  the  De  Clares,  the  De  Lacys,  and 
the  De  Courcys  extended  to  Ireland  the  work  of  conquest 
which  they  had  completed  in  England. 

Most  of  the  invaders  on  these  first  expeditions  were 
impoverished  noblemen.  The  Norman  king  freely 
granted  them  lands  belonging  to  the  Irish  tribes  ;  and 
these  settlers  thus  became  the  founders    of   the  chief 


102  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1172 

*'  Anglo-Irish  "  families  of  later  centuries.     With  their 

Irish   lands   these    adventurers  received    Irish 
Quality  of 
the  Irish      titles,  adapted  from  those  of  the  native  chiefs. 

invaders.  -pj^^g  the  Fitzgeralds  .were,  first,  Barons  of 
Offaly,  later,  Earls  of  Kildare,  and  finally  Dukes  of  Lein- 
ster.  Their  kinsmen  in  the  south  were  made  Earls  of 
Munster. 

92.  Strongbow's  term  of  governraent.  On  his  re- 
turn to  England,  Henry  II  appointed  Richard  de  Clare, 
called  Strongbow,  lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland.  Most  of 
the  Irish  princes  had  once  more  asserted  their  independ- 
ence, and  Strongbow  determined  to  take  active  measures 
against  them.  His  soldiers,  whose  pay  was  long  in  ar- 
rears, were  discontented,  and  refused  to  march  under  any 
leader  but  their  favorite,  Raymond  Fitzgerald,  a  brilliant 
officer,  who  allowed  them  to  plunder  to  their  hearts'  con- 
tent. Strongbow  was  forced  to  remove  his  own  uncle 
from  the  command  of  the  army,  appointing  Raymond 
Fitzgerald  in  his  place.  Then  began  the  first  Norman 
Raymond  raid  among  the  peaceful  districts  of  Ireland. 
piS?s*  Raymond  Fitzgerald  led  his  men  southward. 
Leinster.  On  the  southern  Blackwater  near  Lismore, 
*'the  great  fort,"  he  seized  a  number  of  boats,  and  loaded 
them  with  plunder,  sending  them  down  the  river  and 
along  the  coast  to  the  city  of  Waterford.  He  and  his 
men  drove  a  great  number  of  cattle  before  them,  the  most 
valuable  part  of  their  plunder.  The  boats  were  attacked 
on  their  way  by  a  fleet,  half  Irish,  half  Danish,  from  Cork; 
and  the  party  of  Raymond's  men  who  were  proceeding 
by  land  at  the  same  time  had  to  meet  an  onslaught  from 
Dermot  MacCarthy,  prince  of  Desmond.  Both  these 
attacks  were  repulsed,  and  Raymond  and  his  plunderers 
escaped  with  their  booty. 

After  this  raid,  Raymond  Fitzgerald  returned  to  his 


II76]  THE    COMING    OF    THE    NORMANS  103 

home  in  Wales.     During  his  absence,  Strongbovv  took 
the  field  against  Donall  O'Brien,  king  of  Thomond,  a 
descendant  of  Brian  Boru,  the  victor  of  Clontarf.     Don- 
all  was  intrenched  at  Limerick,  and,  hearing  of  Strong- 
bow's  coming,  he  sent  for  aid  to  Roderick  O'Conor,  who 
came  with  his  Connaughtmen  to  help  him.     They  met 
the  earl's  army  some  thirty  miles  to  the  east   strongbow 
of   Limerick,  near  Thurles  in  Tipperary,  and  Jjf^ie^^^ 
Strongbow   was    completely    defeated,    losing  1174. 
seventeen  hundred   men.     "  Strongbow,"  says  the  An- 
nals, "proceeded  in  sorrow  to  his  home  at  Waterford." 
Here  he  was  besieged  by  the  Irish  armies,  until  Ray- 
mond Fitzgerald  once  more  came  to  his  aid.   ntzgeraid 
Raymond  drove  Donall  O'Brien  back  to  Limer-  L^erick. 
ick,  and,  by  an  impetuous  attack,  captured  the  ii76. 
city  and  put  the  defenders  to  the  sword.     A  garrison 
was  left  there  to  uphold  the  Norman  power. 

Raymond  Fitzgerald  had  enemies  aj:  court,  who  sought 
to  arouse  the  distrust  of  Henry  H,  and  to  make  him 
jealous  of  the  brilliant  general's  success.  The  king  even 
sent  an  order  for  his  recall,  but  Raymond  soon  found 
an  occasion  to  vindicate  himself.  The  Irish  armies  made 
a  vigorous  attack  on  the  Norman  garrison  at  Limerick. 
Strongbow  once  more  found  that  his  army  would  fol- 
low no  leader  but  Raymond,  and  sent  the  king  word 
that  Raymond  must  remain.  Raymond  made  a  forced 
march  to  the  southwest,  defeated  Donall  O'Brien,  and 
relieved  the  Limerick  garrison. 

93.  De  Burgo's  government.  The  king  was  still 
distrustful,  however  ;  and  on  Strongbow's  death  in  the 
next  year,  11 76,  the  office  of  lord  lieutenant  was  given, 
not  to  Raymond  Fitzgerald,  but  to  William  de  Burgo, 
whose  family  name  is  modernized  as  Burke.  To  assist 
William  de  Burgo  in  the  government,  Henry  appointed  a 


I04 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1177 


council  of  three  Norman  nobles  :  John  de  Courcy,  Rob- 
ert Fitzstephen,  and  Miles  de  Cogan.  The  lord  lieutenant 
was  disposed  to  adopt  more  peaceful  methods,  and  dis- 
couraged the  semi-independent  warfare  of  leaders  like 
Raymond.  He  was,  therefore,  very  unpopular  among 
the  crowd  of  fortune-hunters  about  him.  Chief  among 
these  was  De  Courcy,  to  whom  King  Henry  had  made 
a  nominal  grant  of  Ulster,  where,  however,  he  had  little 


DUNDRUM    CASTLE 

This  castle,  built  by  John  de  Courcy,  is  one  of  the  best  examples  of  the  Norman  method 
of  establishing  themselves  in  the  country  The  central  tower  is  46  feet  in  external 
diameter  and  the  walls  are  8  feet  thick 


or  no  real  authority.      De  Courcy  determined  to  under- 

Theexpe-     take  the  work  of  conquest  on  his  own  account, 

dition  of  .  .    ^  . 

De  Courcy.    and  left  Dublin  with  an  army  of  knights  and 

archers,  in  all  about  a  thousand  men.      In  the  beginning 

Captured     ^^  February,    ii 77,  he  attacked  Downpatrick, 

Down-         the  chief  strong^hold  of  eastern   Ulster.     The 

Patrick.  ^ 

1177.  town    was    taken    by    surprise,  captured,    and 

plundered.     Before  the  end  of  the  week,  the  prince  of 
Ulster  with  a  numerous  army  came  against  De  Courcy, 


ii85]  THE    COMING    OF    THE    NORMANS  105 

and  attempted  to  retake  Downpatrick,  but  was  defeated 
and  slain,  as  were  many  other  Ulster  chieftains.     De 
Courcy  then  built  at   Dundrum,  seven  miles  south  of 
Downpatrick,  a  strong  Norman  castle,  with  a  lofty  tower, 
as  a  centre  of  action  against  his  opponents.    In  p^^  ^ 
this  he  set  the  example  which  we  shall  find  fol-  Noman 
lowed  by  the  Norman  chiefs,  who  thus  gained 
an  immense  advantage  over  the  Irish  armies,  with  their 
less  effective  earthwork  fortifications.     De  Courcy  pro- 
ceeded in  his  attempt  to  assert  his  authority  over  Ulster, 
now  winning,  now  losing  battles  against  the  native  chiefs, 
at  one  time  being  left  with  only  eleven  companions. 

94.  Henry  sends  his  son  John  to  Ireland.  By  1 185, 
such  disquieting  reports  of  the  state  of  Leinster  reached 
King  Henry  that  he  determined  to  send  over  an  expedi- 
tion under  his  nineteen -year-old  son.  Prince  John.  This 
prince,  bearing  the  title  of  Lord  of  Ireland,  set  out  from 
England  with  a  large  company  of  adventurers.  He 
landed  at  Waterfc4d,  where  certain  of  the  Irish  chiefs 
had  come  to  welcome  him.  Far  from  conciliating  the 
chieftains,  John  and  his  companions  spent  eight  months 
adding  fuel  to  the  flames,  by  their  insulting  manner  and 
lawless  behavior  toward  the  Irish  chiefs  and  people.  The 
indignation  of  the  chiefs,  who  had  come  with  the  inten- 
tion of  acknowledging  Henry's  overlordship,  was  now 
thoroughly  aroused ;  they  determined  once  more  to  at- 
tack the  Normans,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  joj^ 
a  number  of  the  recently  built  castles,  and  in  defeated, 
completely  routing  Prince  John's  army.  The  chief  leader 
of  this  war  was  Donall  O'Brien  of  Thomond.  Kins: 
Henry  was  thoroughly  disgusted  with  his  son's  failure, 
and  ordered  him  to  return,  naming  De  Courcy  as  lord 
lieutenant  of  Ireland. 

In  Prince  John's  train  there  had  been  a  certain  Welsh 


I06  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1198 

priest,  Gerald  Barry,  called  in  Latin  Giraldus  Cambren- 
sis,  that  is,  Gerald  of  Cambria,  or  Wales.  This  man,  on 
Giraldus  ^is  return  to  England,  wrote  a  Latin  history  of 
Oambrensis.  ^he  Norman  invasion  of  Ireland,  together  with 
a  description  of  the  country,  which  contains  much  truth, 
mixed  with  many  inaccuracies  and  fancies. 

Prince  John  tried  to  cast  all  the  blame  for  the  failure 
of  the  expedition  on  Hugh  de  Lacy,  one  of  the  best  and 
Death  of  wisest  of  the  great  Norman  barons.  This  De 
Laxjy^the  L^cy,  whose  SOU  was  the  rival  of  De  Courcy, 
elder.  had  brought  upon  himself  the  dangerous  accu- 

sation of  aiming  to  be  king  of  Ireland,  because  he  had 
married  a  daughter  of  Roderick  O' Conor.  He  was  as- 
sassinated one  day  by  a  young  Irishman,  to  revenge  his 
unlawful  seizure  of  land  belonging  to  the  old  monastery 
of  Durrow,  founded  by  Saint  Columba. 

95.  De  Courcy  as  lord  lieutenant.  During  the 
whole  time  he  was  lord  lieutenant,  De  Courcy  was  en- 
gaged in  fighting.  He  began  in  1 198  by  making  an 
expedition  against  Connaught,  much  in  the  style  of  the 
old  Danish  raids,  but  was  defeated  with  p^reat 

First  ex-  .'  ^ 

pedition  to  loss  by  Conor,  king  of  Connaught,  and  Donall 
onnaug  .  Q'^^-jgj-^^  ^uig  of  Munster,  and  forced  to  re- 
treat. He  marched  north  in  the  hope  of  escaping  his 
pursuers,  only  to  find  himself  caught  between  two  hostile 
forces,  as  the  prince  of  Tyrconnell,  or  Donegal,  had  also 
come  out  against  him.  He  finally  reached  Leinster  with 
the  remnant  of  his  army. 

De  Courcy' s  second  expedition  against  the  same  pro- 
vince in  T200,  as  an  ally  of  one  of  the  native  claimants 
to  the  disputed  throne  of  Connausfht,  likewise 

Second  ex-  ^  &      ' 

pedition  to     ended  in  defeat.     Hugh  de  Lacy  the  younger 
onnaug   .    -^^^  joined  him  in  this  campaign,  but  the  pre- 
sence of  these  two  distinguished  Norman  leaders  failed  to 


1204]  THE    COMING    OF   THE    NORMANS  lO/ 

secure  success  for  their  ally.  Their  army  was  caught  in 
an  ambuscade  by  the  forces  of  the  rival  claimant,  and  al- 
most annihilated.  During  their  retreat  across  the  waters 
of  Lough  Ree,  the  Connaught  chief  again  attacked,  and 
De  Courcy  escaped  with  only  a  few  men. 

De  Lacy  was  lord  justice,  and  therefore  very  jealous 
of  De  Courcy,  and  he  did  his  utmost  to  bring  the  latter 
into  disfavor  with  the  king.  In  1204,  after  The  end  o« 
much  scheming,  he  succeeded  in  having  De  DeCourcy. 
Courcy  proclaimed  a  traitor,  and  orders  were  given  for 
his  arrest.     His  subsequent  history  is  uncertain. 

SUMMARY 

In  1 166,  Dermot  MacMurrogh,  king  of  Leinster,  was  de- 
posed by  Roderick  O'Conor  and  others.  He  sought  aid  from 
Henry  II,  duke  of  the  Normans,  and  his  Norman  barons. 
The  latter  fitted  up  several  expeditions,  landed  in  Ireland, 
and  captured  the  towns  of  Wexford  and  Waterford  in  1 169-70. 
Among  these  Norman  barons  were  Fitzgerald,  Fitzstephen, 
De  Lacy,  De  Courcy,  and  the  great  Strongbow.  Henry  II 
came  himself  to  Ireland  in  1 171,  at  the  head  of  a  large  army, 
received  the  submission  of  the  chiefs,  and  returned,  leaving 
De  Lacy  as  governor  of  the  city  of  Dublin.  Strongbow 
was  appointed  lord  lieutenant  in  1173.  These  invaders  were 
French-speaking  Normans  who,  just  a  century  before,  had 
conquered  England,  and  who  were  now  eager  to  enrich  them- 
selves from  the  spoils  of  Ireland.  With  no  other  aim  than 
plunder,  they  made  numerous  successful  raids  through  the 
country  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  Roderick  and  the  Irish 
chiefs.  Thus,  by  the  year  1200,  the  Normans  had  gained  a 
footing  in  Ireland,  but  had  accomplished  nothing  that  could 
properly  be  called  a  conquest. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

CONSOLIDATION    OF   NORMAN    POWER 

1199-1318 

English  Sovereigns  : 

John,  1199-1216  Edward  I,  1 272-1 307 

Henry  III,  1216-1272  Edward  II,  1307-1327 

96.  The  genius  of  the  Normans.  When  William 
the  Norman  gained  possession  of  England,  one  of  his 
first  acts  was  to  secure  his  position  in  the  capital  by 
building  the  Tower  of  London.  This  immense  ^^g  ^ower 
stronghold,  which  frowns  upon  London  even  0*  London, 
to-day,  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  nine  centuries,  is  typical 
of  the  Norman  genius.  It  illustrates  the  method  by 
which  the  Normans  secured  their  position  in  England, 
and  later  in  Ireland.  William  himself  built  about  fifty 
other  great  Norman  castles  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  Saxon  land  which  he  had  conquered,  and 
in  these  castles  placed  his  feudal  nobles,  who  acknow- 
ledged him  as  their  lord  and  master. 

When  the  Norman  warriors  came  to  Ireland,  they 
were  at  first  mercenaries  of  Irish  princes  like  Dermot 
MacMurrogh  ;  but  they  were  soon  granted  land,  either 
by  the  Irish  chiefs  who  sought  their  services,  or  by  the 
king  of  England,  after  he  had  asserted  his  claim  to  be 
overlord  of  Ireland.  The  Norman  warriors  immediately 
put  in  practice  the  lesson  taught  by  William  the  Con- 
queror.    They  built  just  such  keeps  and  castles  as  the 


II99]      CONSOLIDATION  OF  NORMAN  POWER        IO9 

Tower  of  London,  though  not  on  so  large  a  scale,  and 
many  of  their  strongholds  are  still  standing.     The  plan 
of  these  castles  included  an  outer  wall,  encir-  j,oj^an 
cled  by  a  deep  moat  or  canal  filled  with  water,   casties  in 

^  ^  Ireland, 

which  surrounded  the  whole  castle,  and  could 

be  crossed  only  by  a  drawbridge.    This  bridge  could  be 


THE   TOWER    OF   LONDON 
From  the  earliest  drawing 


drawn  up  from  within  the  castle,  and  when  it  was  drawn 
up,  all  access  from  without  was  cut  off.  The  strong 
outer  wall  of  the  fortress  was  pierced  by  a  single  doorway, 


no  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1199 

high  enough  for  a  knight  on  horseback  to  ride  through 
without  dismounting.  This  doorway  could  be  closed  by 
an  iron  portcullis,  a  gate  running  in  grooves  in  the  wall, 
which  was  raised  by  chains  from  a  windlass  above. 
When  let  down,  this  strong  iron  gate  could  not  be  pushed 
open,  as  it  was  held  in  place  by  the  heavy  grooved 
stones  on  either  side.  Often  the  lower  edge  of  this  port- 
cullis was  armed  with  a  row  of  spikes,  so  that,  should  any 
of  the  enemy  be  underneath  at  the  time  it  was  lowered 
in  haste,  they  would  be  transfixed  and  killed.  Along  the 
top  of  the  outer  wall  of  the  fortress  there  were  openings 
for  the  bowmen  to  shoot  through,  and  these  openings 
give  the  walls  the  toothed  appearance,  like  the  edge 
of  a  saw,  which  makes  them  so  picturesque  in  modern 
landscapes.  Inside  the  wall  were  dwelling-houses  and 
storehouses,  and  the  whole  was  dominated  by  a  keep  or 
central  stronghold,  a  high  tower  with  very  thick  walls, 
also  pierced  for  archers,  into  which  the  garrison  could 
retire,  if  the  outer  fortress  was  taken. 

De  Courcy  was  one  of  the  greatest  builders  of  Norman 
castles  in  Ireland,  and  one  great  stronghold  of  his  over 
Castle-  Dundrum  Bay  in  Down  is  to-day  almost  as  per- 
buiiders.  fg^.^  ^.s  during  his  lifetime.  The  other  great  Nor- 
mans, De  Lacy,  De  Clare,  and  the  rest,  were  not  behind 
De  Courcy.  They  erected  Norman  keeps  and  castles 
at  every  point  where  they  gained  a  footing  ;  and  it  was 
the  presence  of  these  fortresses  of  stone  which  made  it 
almost  impossible  for  the  Irish  chiefs  to  drive  out  the 
Normans,  as  they  had  earlier  driven  out  the  Norsemen. 

The  use  of  armor  in  battle  was  another  evidence  of 
Noraan  ^^^  Same  instinct  of  self-defence.  The  coats 
armor  and     of  mail  of  the  Norman  knights  are  even  more 

discipline.      .  •   1     ,  1       1  1     •  ,  ■,     -, 

imperishable  than  their  castles,  and  they  are  to 
be  found  in  every  museum  to-day.     A  third  element  of 


I2I0]      CONSOLIDATION  OF  NORMAN  POWER        III 

strength  was  the  sense  of  rigid  discipline  which  the  Nor- 
mans brought  with  them  to  England  and  Ireland,  and 
which  was  an  inheritance  from  the  ancient  Roman  armies. 
In  this  they  excelled  the  Irish  tribal  forces,  just  as  they 
excelled  the  Saxons  at  the  battle  of  Hastings,  and  many 
of  their  victories  in  Ireland  were  due  rather  to  supe- 
•rior  order  than  to  superior  valor.  The  Irish  had  never 
submitted  to  discipline,  which  ran  counter  to  their  tribal 
instincts.  They  fought  in  masses  rather  than  in  regular 
ranks,  and  had  no  system  of  tactics.  They  still  adhered 
to  the  habits  of  warfare  developed  in  an  earlier  age,  re- 
lying on  the  wildness  of  the  country,  on  the  forests  and 
bogs,  for  their  defence,  rather  than  on  fortifications  of 
stone.  Later,  when  the  sons  of  Ireland  mastered  the 
principle  of  ordered  war,  they  became  very  formidable 
warriors,  winning  battles  in  every  part  of  Europe,  and 
leading  the  armies  of  many  nations.  The  Norman  in- 
vaders brought  with  them  the  French  language  „ 

which   they  had    learned    in    Normandy,    and   ideas 

Frencli 
many  French  knightly  traditions.      It  is  worth 

remembering  that  the  Conqueror's  great  grandson,  Henry 
II,  who  was  the  first  invading  sovereign,  had  larger  ter- 
ritorjes  in  France  than  in  England,  and  that  the  part 
of  Ireland  over  which  he  exercised  real  authority,  a  very 
small  part,  was  one  of  the  divisions  of  a  realm  which 
stretched  from  the  south  of  Scotland  to  the  north  of 
Spain. 

97.  King  John  comes  to  Ireland.  King  John  came 
to  the  throne  of  England  in  1 199.  He  remembered  the 
condition  of  confusion  and  turmoil  which  reigned  in  Ire- 
land.    He  therefore  determined   to  go   there  „ 

o  Cessation 

again,  to  attempt  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos,   ofhostm- 
He  did  not  carry  out  his  intention  until  1210, 
however ;  in  that  year  he  assembled  a  formidable  army 


112  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1210 

and  sailed  to  Waterford,  landing  at  Cape  Crook.  His 
arrival  was  the  signal  for  a  general  cessation  of  hostili- 
ties. Even  the  most  restless  of  the  Norman  chiefs  left 
the  native  chieftains  unmolested,  and  stopped  quarrelling 
amongst  themselves,  during  the  visit  of  their  king.  John 
had  thus  no  fighting  to  do,  and  devoted  himself  to  es- 
tablishing the  principles  of  civil  law,  and  asserting  his 
authority.  He  divided  the  part  of  Ireland  in  which 
his  power  was  recoo^nized  into  twelve  counties. 

Formation  ^,  ,.       .  11  ^       ■  r 

of  counties  that  IS  to  say,  districts  under  the  authority  of 
in  Ireland.  ^  ^ount,  a  name  and  title  brought  by  the  Nor- 
mans, from  France.  The  twelve  counties  formed  by 
King  John  are  Dublin,  Kildare,  Meath,  Louth,  Carlow, 
Kilkenny,  Wexford,  Waterford,  Cork,  Kerry,  Limerick, 
and  Tipperary.  Five  of  the  twelve,  namely,  Dublin,  Wex- 
ford, Waterford,  Cork,  and  Limerick,  were  old  Norse  or 
Danish  districts,  thus  showing  that  the  Normans  were 
able  to  gain  a  footing  first  in  the  regions  already  weak- 
ened by  Danish  inroads.  We  shall  speak  later  of  the 
introduc-  formation  of  other  counties,  as  the  central 
Norman  authority  was  extended.  John  founded  law 
law,  courts,  and  appointed    magistrates,  who  were 

ordered  to  administer  Norman  law.  An  element  of  strife 
was  thus  introduced,  which  produced  much  harm  and 
misery  for  centuries,  since  the  Norman  law  was  founded 
on  principles,  largely  borrowed  from  Rome,  which  were 
not  in  harmony  with  the  traditional  law  of  Ireland,  as  de- 
veloped by  the  Brehons.  It  is  true  that  John  intended 
to  apply  the  Norman  law  only  to  Normans  and  English 
settled  in  Ireland,  but  this  distinction  was  later  lost  sight 
of,  and  the  imported  legal  system  was  gradually  extended 
to  English  and  Irish  alike.  For  many  years  to  come, 
the  native  Irish  remained  outside  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
newly    established  courts.     John  returned  to  England, 


114  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1216 

leaving  Ireland  fairly  quiet,  and  this  condition  was  main- 
tained until  his  death  in  12 16. 

98.  Norman  law.  The  chief  principle  of  Norman 
law  which  came  into  opposition  with  Irish  traditions 
concerned  the  possession  of  land.  Generally  speaking, 
the  districts  of  Ireland  were  the  possession  of  the  tribe, 
that  is,  of  the  supposed  or  real  descendants  of  a  common 
ancestor,  who  held  the  land  in  common.  Their  elected 
Irish  land  chief  had  a  separate  portion  of  the  land  for  his 
customs.  Q^yj^  ygg^  ^j^(^  ^yg^g  absolutc  owner  only  of  this 
separate  portion.  It  descended,  not  necessarily  to  his 
eldest  son,  but  to  his  elected  successor.  The  Norman 
principle  was  quite  different.  William  of  Normandy  as- 
Norman  serted  his  direct  ownership  of  all  the  land  of 
system.  England,  and  made  grants  of  it  to  his  followers 
and  officers.  They  became  complete  owners  of  the  soil, 
which  passed  to  their  eldest  sons,  according  to  the  sys- 
tem called  primogeniture.  The  Norman  lord  of  the  land 
was  thus  in  a  much  stronger  position  than  the  Irish  tribal 
chief.  He  was  complete  owner  of  the  whole  region 
under  his  authority,  and  he  could  be  certain  that  it  would 
pass  undivided  to  his  son.  All  disputes  of  succession 
were  avoided,  and  the  estate  was  preserved  intact.  It  is 
evident,  of  course,  that  here  was  an  element  of  strength, 
similar  to  the  great  Norman  castles  ;  and  these  two 
things  were  joint  causes  of  the  physical  and  moral  power 
of  the  Norman  invaders.  It  is  equally  evident  that  this 
Effect  of  strength  was  gained  by  decreasing  the  rights 
tem?orthe  '^^  ^^^  tribe,  who,  under  the  Norman  system, 
people.  became  mere  tenants  of  the  lord,  instead  of 
free  warriors  owning  their  own  land.  In  exactly  the 
same  way,  the  Norman  system  of  inheritance  often  did 
great  injustice  to  the  younger  sons,  who  were,  perhaps, 
the  most  gifted,  but  who  received  little  or  nothing  from 


1224]     CONSOLIDATION  OF  NORMAN  POWER  II5 

their  father,  while  the  eldest  son  received  everything. 
The  Irish  chief,  on  the  contrary,  was  elected,  so  that  the 
worthiest  and  strongest  was  put  in  power.  The  com- 
ing of  King  John  marks  the  beginning  of  the  conflict 
between  these  two  legal  principles. 

99.  Conditions  in  Leinster  and  Meath,  1216-1315. 
From  the  accession  of  John's  son,  as  Henry  III,  in  12 16, 
to  the  invasion  of  Edward  Bruce,  in  13 15,  that  is,  for  ex- 
actly a  century,  fighting  went  on  incessantly  in  Ireland. 
The  great  Norman  lords  carried  on  a  series  of  savage 
struggles  among  themselves,  each  trying  to  seize  the 
estates  and  wealth  of  the  others ;  they  also  joined  in  the 
traditional  quarrels  of  the  native  princes,  aiding  one  side 
or  the  other,  and  receiving  a  share  of  the  plunder.  Typi- 
cal of  these  struggles  was  "  the  war  of  Meath,"  „^ 

&c>  The  wars  of 

which  broke  out  in  1224  between  two  Nor-  Meath  and 
man  families,  the  De  Lacys  and  the  Marechals  "®" 
or  Marshalls  of  Leinster,  and  which  did*  not  end  until 
Meath  was  completely  devastated.  The  "  war  of  Kil- 
dare  "  was  a  similar  struggle.  When  William  Marshall, 
who  had  taken  a  part  in  the  "war  of  Meath,"  died,  his 
estates  passed  to  his  brother  Richard.  Richard  Mar- 
shall had  a  quarrel  with  the  English  king,  and  fled  from 
England  to  Ireland,  where  he  hoped  to  escape  pursuit. 
Three  powerful  Norman  lords,  Geoffrey  Marisco,  Mau- 
rice Fitzgerald,  and  Hugh  de  Lacy  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment to  attack  Richard  Marshall  and  divide  his  estates. 
They  invited  him  to  meet  them  in  Kildare,  and  in  a 
pretended  quarrel  attacked  him  and  wounded  him  so 
severely  that  he  died  shortly  after.  When  Henry  III 
heard  of  this  treacherous  act,  he  banished  Geoffrey 
Marisco  and  executed  his  son,  who  had  also  been  impli- 
cated in  the  plot. 

100.  Affairs  in  Connaught.     In  Connaught,  the  na- 


Il6  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1249 

tive  chiefs  were  still  dominant.  Here  a  bitter  struggle 
for  the  kingship  of  the  western  provinces  was  fought 
out  amongst  various  members  of  the  O'Conor  family,  the 
descendants  and  relatives  of  Roderick  O'Conor.  The 
Marshalls,  De  Burgos,  and  other  Norman  lords  took  part 
in  this  quarrel,  because  they  saw  in  it  oppor- 
o'Conorin  tunities  of  plunder.  In  1249,  Phelim,  one  of 
onnaug  .  j^Qj^gj-i^^j^'g  nephews,  succeeded  in  seizing  and 
holding  the  throne  of  Connaught  against  all  opponents, 
Norman  and  Irish  alike.  He  reigned  over  the  western 
province  for  sixteen  years,  until  his  death  in  1265,  show- 
ing the  continuity  of  Irish  tradition  and  kingship,  side 
by  side  with  Norman  rule. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  life  and  culture  of  the 
Irish  tongue  continued  unabated.  Poems  were  com- 
posed, and  the  poems  of  olden  days  were  recited  ;  the 
harpers  practised  their  art  in  the  halls  of  the  chiefs ; 
the  Brehons  settled  questions  of  law  ;  and,  for  centuries 
to  come,  the  intellectual  and  moral  life  of  the  purely 
native  Ireland  continued  in  an  unbroken  stream. 

101.  The  state  of  Ulster.  In  Ulster,  things  were  not 
less  disturbed  than  in  Leinster  and  Connaught.  Maurice 
Fitzgerald  aimed  at  the  complete  subjugation  of  the 
northern  province,  and,  for  this  purpose,  led  an  army 
north  through  Connaught.  He  had  gone  as  far 
credran.  as  Credran,  near  Sligo,  when  he  was  met  and  de- 
feated by  Godfrey  O'Donnell,  lord  of  Tyrcon- 
nell.  Both  leaders  were  wounded  in  the  fight,  the  Nor- 
man so  seriously  that  he  died  shortly  after.  O'Donnell 
was  disabled  by  his  wound,  and  his  army  was  left  without 
a  leader  for  several  months.  Brian  O'Neill,  prince  of 
Tyrone,  O'Donnell's  old  rival,  seized  the  opportunity  and 
invaded  Tyrconnell,  but  was  defeated  at  the  river  Swilly. 
Godfrey  O'Donnell  was  too  weak  to  lead  his  army,  but, 


1314]     CONSOLIDATION  OF  NORMAN  POWER         11/ 

in  order  to  give  courage  to  his  men,  he  had  himself  car- 
ried to  battle  with  his  army.  As  a  result  of  this  exer- 
tion and  exposure,  he  died  shortly  after.  In  1260,  the 
Ulster  chiefs  made  some  efforts  to  unite  against  the 
Normans,  under  the  leadership  of  Brian  O'Neill.   _    , 

^  Battle  of 

Their  efforts  were  unsuccessful,  however,  for  Down- 
they  were  defeated  in  a  hard  fought  battle  at  ^^^^  ' 
Downpatrick,  and  Brian  O'Neill  and  several  other  Irish 
leaders  were  slain. 

102.  Troubles  in  Munster.  In  Munster,  the  fiercest 
fighting  took  place  between  the  Norman  Geraldines  and 
the  old  Irish  family  of  the  MacCarthys  of  Desmond,  who 
were  roused  to  opposition  by  the  perpetual  encroach- 
ments of  the  newcomers.  In  the  year  1261,  the  Battle  of 
MacCarthys  won  a  battle  at  Callan,  near  Ken-  CaUan. 
mare.  They  then  proceeded  to  overthrow  the  Norman 
strongholds  throughout  the  south  of  Munster ;  but,  as 
happened  too  often  with  the  Irish  chieftains,  they  soon 
lost  through  lack  of  unity  what  they  had  gained  by  valor 
and  hard  fighting.  These  rivalries  and  contests,  which 
were  politically  inconclusive,  were  nevertheless  the 
causes  of  limitless  evil  to  the  land.  The  masses  of  the 
people,  whether  of  the  old  Irish  race,  or  the  English 
retainers  of  the  Norman  newcomers,  asked  for  nothing 
better  than  to  farm  their  lands  in  peace.  These  were 
the  people  who  suffered  most,  not  only  from  the  direct 
evils  of  fighting,  but  even  more  from  the  famines  which 
followed  the  wholesale  destruction  of  their  crops,  and 
the  carrying  off  of  their  herds  ;  and  from  the  pestilences 
which  came  in  the  wake  of  famine,  sickness  finding  easy 
victims  among  multitudes  of  half-starved  and  emaciated 
men  and  women. 

103.  The  invasion  of  Edward  Bruce.   In  13 14,  Rob- 
ert Bruce  gained  a  victory  over  the  English  king,  Edward 


Il8  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1315 

II,  at  Bannockburn  in  Stirlingshire,  and  thus  established 
the  independence  of  Scotland.  The  news  of  this  defeat 
of  the  English  armies  so  roused  the  Irish  of  the  north 
that  they  decided  to  make  another  effort  to  drive  out 
the  Normans,  and  invited  Edward  Bruce,  brother  of  the 
Bruce  lands  Scottish  king,  to  come  over  as  their  leader, 
at  Larue.  -phe  proposal  was  accepted,  and  in  the  month 
of  May,  131 5,  Edward  Bruce  landed  at  Larne,  in  An- 
trim, with  six  thousand  Scottish  warriors,  cousins  of 
the  Irish,  and  speaking  the  same  tongue.  He  was  met 
by  an  Irish  army  under  Donall  O'Neill,  and  the  two  lead- 
ers joined  their  forces.  They  at  once  proceeded  against 
the  Normans  of  Ulster,  and  won  several  battles.  In  order 
to  deprive  their  opponents  of  food  and  shelter,  they 
burned  houses  and  devastated  fields,  thus  causing  great 
misery  to  the  common  people.  Richard  de  Burgo,  the 
''red  earl "  of  Ulster,  with  Sir  Edmund  Butler,  the  lord 
justice,  led  an  army  against  the  Scottish  and  Irish  forces. 
A  contest  of  great  cruelty  and  severity  was  now  be- 
gun. The  path  of  the  Scottish  and  Irish  army,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  Normans,  was  surrounded  by  misery  and 
suffering.  Though  there  was  a  famine  that  year,  and  a 
general  failure  of  the  crops,  orders  were  nevertheless 
given  by  the  commanders  of  both  armies  to  destroy  all 
food  except  what  was  required  for  their  own  support, 
regardless  of  the  starvation  inevitably  inflicted  upon 
the  people.  Phelim  O'Conor,  the  younger,  king  of  Con- 
naught,  at  first  joined  De  Burgo,  but  was  soon  compelled 

to  return  to  Con  naught,  on  account  of  an  out- 
De  Burgo      break  among  his  own    people.     The  Norman 

force  was  thus  greatly  weakened,  and  De  Burgo 
was  completely  defeated  by  Bruce  at  Connor,  in  Antrim, 
a  short  distance  to  the  south  of  Slemish  Mountain,  where 
the  apostle  of  Ireland  once  tended  his  master's  flocks. 


I3I7]       CONSOLIDATION  OF  NORMAN  POWER        II9 


104.  Bruce  is  crowned  king.  Soon  after  this  battle, 
Bruce  was  crowned  king  of  Ireland,  and,  marching  into 
Meath,  defeated  a  Norman  force  of  fifteen  thousand 
men  at  Kells,  and  again,  in  the  early  part  of  the  year 
1 3 16,  routed  the  Normans  in  Kildare.  By  this  time, 
Phelim  O'Conor  had  restored  order  in  Connaught,  and 
now  gave  in  his  adherence  to  Bruce,  and  led  his  army 
to  Athenry  in  Galway.  Here  he  suffered  the  severest 
defeat   that    had   been  inflicted  on  any  Irish 

"^  Battle  of 

army  since  the  first  coming  of  the  Normans.   Athenry. 
In  a  battle   against  William  de  Burgo,  eleven   ^^^^' 
thousand  of  the  Connaughtmen  were  killed,  including 
Phelim  himself  and  most  of  his  nobles. 

In   1 3 17,  Edward    Bruce  was  joined  by  his  brother, 
Robert  Bruce,  king  of  Scotland,  but  little  was  accom- 
plished through  his  help.     The  two  brothers  attempted 
to    reduce    Dublin   and   afterwards    Limerick,   Bruce  re- 
two  of  the  stronsrest  fortresses  in    the  hands  E^^f.^^^^ 

<-'  DuDiin  ana 

of  the  Normans,  but  failed  in  both  attacks.  Limerick. 
Their  army  suffered  greatly  on  its  long  marches  through 
a  country  previously 
devastated.  Many  of 
the  soldiers  died  of 
cold  and  famine,  and 
this  incessant  hard- 
ship discouraged  the 
hitherto  indomitable 
Scottish  king.  Be- 
lieving that  any  more 
complete  victory  in 
Ireland  was  impossi- 
ble, he  returned  to  his 
own  country,  leaving  Edward  to  face  his  troubles  alone. 

105.  End  of  Bruce's  invasion.     The    closing:  battle 


^^^^^^^^^^^^1^  ^m 


KING  John's  castle,  limerick 

This  castle  was  built  by  order  of  King  John,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  formidable  castles  in  Ireland 


I20  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1318 

of  Edward  Bruce' s  invasion  was  fought  at  Faughart, 
north  of  Dundalk,  in  October,  1318.  The  Normans 
under  De  Bermingham  had  a  stronger  force,  but  they 
B  tu  would  probably  have  lost  the  battle,  had  not 

Faughart.      one   of   their  leaders   met  and  killed   Edward 

1318 

Bruce  in  a  hand-to-hand  combat.  Their  leader 
gone,  the  Scottish  troops  wavered,  and  were  defeated. 
This  ended  Edward  Bruce's  invasion. 

106.  Condition  of  the  country  after  the  invasion. 
Bruce's  invasion  left  the  country  in  a  condition  of  misery 
from  which  it  did  not  recover  for  generations.  So  many 
Weakness  of  the  Normans  in  Ulster  had  been  killed  that 
Norman  ^^^  native  chiefs  once  more  came  into  power, 
government.  'This  was  true  to  some  extent  also  in  other  parts 
of  Ireland.  Famine  and  pestilence  were  widespread,  and 
lawlessness  was  more  prevalent  than  before.  The  Anglo- 
Irish  government,  weakened  as  it  was  by  Bruce's  inva- 
sion, daily  lost  ground.  The  Normans  were  no  longer 
able  to  extend  their  influence  to  new  districts.  More- 
Biending  of  over,  the  Normans  were  daily  growing  closer 
the  races.  ^q  ^he  Irish  in  thought,  feeling,  and  language, 
and  frequent  intermarriages  hastened  this  blending. 
Many  of  the  Norman  lords,  at  this  time  and  later,  were 
distinguished  by  their  knowledge  of  the  language  and 
literature  of  Ireland.  Thus  we  find  the  Annals  record- 
ing the  death  of  "  Garrett,  Earl  of  Desmond,  a  cheerful 
and  courteous  man,  who  excelled  all  the  Normans  and 
many  of  the  Irish  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, poetry,  history,  and  other  learning." 

107.  Monastic  orders  and  abbeys.  We  must  remem- 
ber that  the  possession  of  a  common  religion  greatly 
helped  this  work  of  assimilation.  All  the  combatants, 
Irish  and  Norman  alike,  were  Catholics,  and  many  of  the 
foremost  warriors  of  either  party  were  fervent  devotees 


I3i8]      CONSOLIDATION   OF  NORiMAN  POWER         121 

of  their  religion.     The  Normans  represented  the  culture 
of  the  continent,  and  were  the  means  of  introducing  into 
Ireland  a  number  of  religious  orders  of  continental  origin. 
These  religious  orders  were  founded  by  a  group  q^^^^^^^ 
of  great  men  like  Saint  Francis  of  Assisi,  whose  Francis, 
followers  were  named  Franciscans  in  his  honor ;   and  Ber- ' 
Saint  Dominick,  a  Spaniard  of  an  old  Castilian  ^^^^' 
family,  who  established  the  Dominicans ;  and  Saint  Ber- 


^^!H 

#-^^  ^im 

^^1  \  ^ 

■^ 

HOLYCROSS    ABBEY 
This  is  situated  at  Thurles  in  Tipperary,  and  dates  back  to  1182 


nard  the  younger,  of  Clairvaux  in  France,  who  gained 
great  influence  for  the  Cistercian  order  founded  by  Saint 
Robert  at  Citeaux  in  Burgundy,  a  town  called  in  Latin 
Cistercium,  whence  the  order  took  its  name. 

All  these  orders  seem   to  have    built  their  monastic 
establishments  on  a  common  plan  :  a  cruciform 
or  cross-formed  church  symbolized  the  source 
of  their  inspiration.     The  choir    was  toward   the    east, 


The  abteys. 


122  IRELAND'S    STORY  [13TH  cent. 

whence  the  Light  had  come.  The  nave,  or  main  body 
of  the  church,  was  entered  by  the  great  western  door, 
and  the  arms  of  the  cross,  or  transepts,  extended  to 
the  north  and  south.  From  one  of  the  transepts,  a 
side  door  generally  led  to  the  domestic  buildings:  the 
dormitory,  where  they  slept ;  the  refectory,  where  they 
ate  ;  and  the  chapter-house,  where  the  friars  or  brothers 
assembled,  under  the  presidency  of  the  abbot.  There 
were  also  smaller  buildings,  storerooms,  granaries,  and 
workrooms.  The  church  was  the  centre  of  all  things, 
and  under  the  stones  of  its  floor  the  friars  were  at  last 
laid  to  rest,  while  those  who  survived  them  carved  their 
tombs  and  epitaphs. 

These  abbeys  were  the  homes  of  culture  and  art,  as 
well  as  of  devotion  and  learning,  throughout  the  whole 
Centres  of  period  of  turmoil  we  have  described,  and  for 
learning.  the  next  two  or  three  centuries.  They  are, 
indeed,  among  the  great  art  monuments  of  Ireland,  and 
there  is  a  world  of  beauty  in  their  graceful  arches, 
slender  pillars  with  rare  and  fanciful  carving,  and  beauti- 
ful windows  with  many  lights.  Into  these  strong  yet 
delicate  fabrics  of  stone,  their  builders  worked  that  art 
inspiration  which  an  earlier  age  had  embodied  in  the 
finely-wrought  chalices  and  intricately  interlaced  illumi- 
nations of  the  sacred  manuscripts. 

SUMMARY 

The  Normans  inherited  the  Roman  power  of  conquest 
through  discipline.  As  they  gained  a  more  extensive 
footing  in  Ireland  they  secured  their  position  by  building 
castles  and  keeps  of  stone  against  which  the  power  of  the 
Irish  was  unavailing.  Fighting  between  the  two  races  was 
incessant,  and,  in  12 10,  King  John  headed  an  expedition  to 
restore  order  and  peace.    He  divided  that  part  of  the  country 


I3TH  CENT.]  CONSOLIDATION  OF  NORMAN  POWER  123 

under  English  influence  into  twelve  counties,  and  introduced 
Norman  law,  which  was  directly  opposed  to  the  Irish  law 
of  inheritance,  and  this  difference  later  became  the  cause  of 
much  bloodshed. 

For  a  hundred  years,  from  12 16  to  13 15,  Ireland  was  kept 
in  a  continuous  state  of  turmoil  by  quarrels  between  the 
Irish  chiefs  and  the  Norman  barons,  and  by  fighting  among 
the  Irish  themselves.  Meath,  Connaught,  Ulster,  and  Mun- 
ster  were  successively  devastated,  and  the  country  suffered 
years  of  famine  and  pestilence.  In  13 15,  Edward  Bruce 
was  invited  by  the  northern  Irish  to  be  their  king.  He 
landed  at  Larne  with  a  Scotch  army  and  was  joined  by  Don- 
all  O'Neill  and  the  native  Irish.  The  combined  forces  won 
several  battles  against  the  Normans,  and  Bruce  was  crowned 
king.  He  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Faughart,  in  13 18. 
Bruce's  invasion  left  the  Norman  government  for  the  time 
being  in  a  very  weak  condition. 

Ireland  owes  to  the  Normans  the  introduction  of  the  reli- 
gious orders  of  Franciscans,  Dominicans,  and  Cistercians,  all 
of  whom  built  many  beautiful  abbeys,  the  ruins  of  which  are 
still  standing  in  many  places. 


CHAPTER    XIV 
NORMAN   RAIDS    TO   ENGLISH   RULE 

1318-1485 

English  Sovereigns  : 

Edward  II,  1307-1327  Henry  V,  1413-1422 

Edward  III,  [327-1377  Henry  VI,  1422-1461 

Richard  II,  1377-1399  Edward  IV,  1461-1483 

Henry  IV,  1 399-1 41 3  Richard  III,  1483-1485 

108.  Old  and  new  invaders.  By  the  beginning  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  the  government  of  England  had 
ceased  to  be  exclusively  Norman,  and  was  gradually  be- 
coming more  truly  English  in  institutions,  law,  and  lan- 
guage. English  literature  was  blending  the  older  tongue 
of  the  Angles  and  Saxons  with  the  French  imported  by 
the  Normans  from  France,  and  a  mixed  speech,  half 
Germanic,  half  Latin  in  origin,  was  being  formed,  of 
great  flexibility,  color,  and  strength.  The  conquered 
English  were  absorbing  and  assimilating  their  conquerors. 

This  change  naturally  affected  Ireland.  The  first 
comers  from  Britain  had  been  Norman  knights  like  De 
Lacy  and  De  Courcy,  with  French  names,  and  speak- 
ing French.  They  often  married  Irish  wives,  a  daughter 
of  Roderick  O'Conor  thus  becoming  the  mother  of  one 
branch  of  the  Fitzgeralds.  The  children  of  these  mar- 
riages of  course  learned  Irish  as  a  mother-tongue,  and 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  many  of  these  Celto-Normans  never 
knew  a  word  of  English,  passing  directly  from  Norman- 
French  to  Irish.    The  common  religion  drew  them  closer 


1333]         NORMAN  RAIDS  TO  ENGLISH  RULE  12$ 

to  their  adopted  country,  and  we  find  Irish  princes  and 
Norman  nobles  vying  with  each  other  in  founding  the 
early  Cistercian  and  Franciscan  abbeys.  Many  of  these 
first  settlers  became  so  completely  acclimated,  and  felt 
themselves  so  much  at  home,  that  they  took  Irish  names, 
as  well  as  the  Irish  tongue,  and  of  them  it  was  said  that 
they  were  "more  Irish  than  the  Irish  themselves." 

109.  Feuds  between  the  Norman  and  English  set- 
tlers. As  Britain  became  more  English,  a  new  race  of 
invaders  began  to  come  to  Ireland,  no  longer  Norman, 
but  distinctively  English,  in  thought  and  speech.  As 
they  were  much  more  in  harmony  with  conditions  then 
prevailing  in  England,  they  were  constantly  favored  by 
the  Dublin  government  at  the  expense  of  the  older  Nor- 
man families.  A  keen  rivalry  grew  up  between  the  two 
elements,  and  the  English  newcomers  spoke  ..^j 
contemptuously  of  the  older  Normans  as  the  erate 

English." 

"degenerate  English."  A  result  of  this  hos- 
tility was  the  quarrel  between  the  Gernons  and  Savages, 
from  among  the  newer  English  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
De  Bermingham  family  on  the  other.  Sir  John  de  Ber- 
mingham,  who  had  defeated  Edward  Bruce  at  the  battle 
of  Faughart,  together  with  his  brothers  and  nephews, 
and  a  number  of  his  followers,  a  hundred  and  sixty  in  all, 
were  treacherously  murdered  by  his  rivals  at  Braggans- 
town  near  Ardee  in  Louth,  in  the  year  1329. 

Another  similar  affair  happened  one  Sunday  morning 
in  1333.  Young  De  Burgo,  called  .the  Dun  Earl  of 
Ulster,  was  on  his  way  to  church  at  Carrickfergus  on 
the  north  shore  of    Belfast' Louo^h.      He  was   „    .,. 

^  Murder  of 

attacked  and  murdered  by  Richard  de  Mande-  De  Burgo. 

1333 

ville,  his  uncle  by  marriage.    As  De  Burgo  was 

a  great  favorite  with  the  Norman  families,  they  avenged 

his  death  by  killing  all  persons  suspected  of  having  a  part 


126  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1333 

in  the  murder,  so  that  nearly  three  hundred  of  De  Mande- 
ville's  followers  were  slain.  De  Burgo  had  vast  estates 
in  Ulster  and  Connaught,  and  at  his  death  this  territory 
fell  to  his  daughter,  then  an  infant.  Two  kinsmen  of 
the  Dun  Earl,  seeing  that  under  Irish  law,  with  its  prin- 
ciple of  election,  the  vast  estates  would  probably  fall  to 
them,  and  not  to  the  helpless  girl,  determined  to  seize 
the  property.  They  announced  that  they  had  broken  off 
their  allegiance  to  England  and  English  law,  and  in  all 
things  adopted  the  life  and  customs  of  the  Irish.  They 
founded  two  powerful  lines  of  the  Burke  family. 

110.  *' The  Pale"  and  the  **  Black  Rents."  The  Eng- 
lish settlement  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Dublin, 
which  later  came  to  be  known  as  the  *'  Pale  "  (meaning 
''  an  inclosure,"  the  same  word  as  "  paling,"  a  fence,  from 
an  embankment  which  was  built  around  it  in  the  fifteenth 
century),  was  the  only  region  which  was  really  subject  to 
England,  and  was  now  the  one  stronghold  of  English  gov- 
ernment in  Ireland.  Wars,  famine,  and  pestilence  had 
so  weakened  the  inhabitants  of  this  small  district  that 
they  were  no  longer  able  to  defend  themselves.  The 
powerful  Irish  chieftains  made  the  English  of  the  Pale  pay 
tribute  for  protection  from  attacks  by  bodies  of  Irish 
raiders  ;  and  this  tribute,  which  was  called  ''  Black  Rent," 
was  sometimes  paid  even  by  the  Dublin  government. 

111.  Weakness  of  the  English  government.  By  1330, 
the  English  government  at  Dublin  was  so  weak  that 
the  lord  lieutenant  called  in  the  help  of  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald, one  of  the  powerful  Norman  lords,  to  ward  off 
the  attacks  of  the  Irish  chiefs,  and  gave  him  the  title  of 
first  Earl  of  Desmond.  Although  Fitzgerald  won  a  few 
battles  for  the  English,  his  presence  did  more  harm  than 
good,  for  he  quartered  his  immense  army  of  ten  thousand 
men  on  the  poor  settlers  of  the  Pale.     Furthermore,  he 


1333]         NORMAN  RAIDS  TO  ENGLISH  RULE  12/ 

permitted  his  soldiers  to  pay  themselves  in  money  and 

food,  wherever  and  whenever  they  could  find  them.    The 

result  was  the  dire  impoverishment  and  almost  complete 

extinction  of  the  settlement.     The  colonists  left  the  Pale 

in  hundreds,  and  returned  to  England.     The  Irish  chiefs 

daily  regained  something  of  their  lost  power.     The  poor 

people,   both    English    settlers    and    native    Irish,  were 

equally  miserable.     The  great  Norman  barons,  careless 

of  everything  but  their  own  interests,  and  for-  „^      ^^  ^ 
^  =>  strength  of 

tified  in  their  strongholds,  were  becoming  more  the  great 
and  more  formidable.  Edward  III  made  three 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  break  the  power  of  these  barons 
between  the  years  1331  and  1344,  but  none  of  the  gov- 
ernors sent  by  him  to  Dublin  were  able  to  accomplish 
anything.  The  strong  castles  were  as  effective  against 
the  Dublin  armies  as  against  the  Irish  chiefs,  and  the 
barons  preserved  their  position  of  almost  independent 
sovereignty  for  nearly  two  centuries  more. 

112.  Legal  injustice.  The  Normans  and  the  Irish 
had  begun  to  mingle,  in  many  places  living  together  in 
comparative  peace.  There  was,  however,  one  powerful 
influence  always  at  work  to  make  them  enemies  rather 
than  friends  :  namely,  the  condition  of  the  law.  Ever 
since  the  first  coming  of  the  Normans,  there  two  codes 
had  been  two  codes  of  law,  the  English  and  the  °*  i^"^- 
Brehon.  (See  sections  97,  98.)  The  former  was  for  the 
colonists  only;  no  Irishman  could  seek  its  protection. 
The  result  was  that  an  Irishman  injured  by  an  English- 
man could  not  seek  redress  under  English  law,  and  the 
Englishman  was  not  compelled  to  submit  to  Brehon  law. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Irishman  were  the  offender,  he 
was  at  once  tried  by  English  law  and  punished.  Thus 
all  the  native  Irish  were  liable  to  licensed  persecution. 
The    Irish    repeatedly  asked   that   they  might  receive 


128  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1367 

equal  protection  under  English  law,  and  Edward  I  and 

Edward  III  had  been  willing  to  grant  this  demand.     But 

the  great  barons,  realizing  that  their  own  power  would 

thereby  be  lessened,  had  persuaded  the  king  to  refuse 

the  petition  of  the  Irish. 

113.   Statute  of  Kilkenny,  1367.      Not  satisfied  with 

these  existing  causes  of  separation  between  the  Irish 

and  the  English,  the  third  son  of  Edward  III, 
Introduced  ^ 

by  the  Duke  Lionel,  duke  of  Clarence,  when  lord  lieutenant, 
arence.  ij^|-^QjuQg(-|  ^  ^g^y  law  in  1 367,  called  the  Stat- 
ute of  Kilkenny,  which  widened  the  gulf  between  the  two 
races.  Lionel  had  married  the  daughter  of  the  Dun  Earl 
of  Ulster,  whose  murder  has  been  recorded.  He  thus  ac- 
quired the  titles  of  Earl  of  Ulster  and  Lord  of  Connaught, 
through  his  wife.  He  was,  however,  full  of  bitter  hatred 
to  the  Irish,  and  not  without  cause.  He  had  been  in 
Ireland  three  times  before  this,  twice  as  lord  lieutenant, 
in  which  office  he  had  several  times  suffered  defeat  at 
the  hands  of  the  Irish,  and  thus  became  convinced  that 
the  natives  could  never  be  subdued  and  brought  under 
English  law.  He  therefore  went  to  the  opposite  extreme, 
and  tried  to  make  laws  which  would  cut  off  all  inter- 
course between  the  settlers  and  the  natives. 

The  Statute  of  Kilkenny  was  intended  forever  to  sep- 
arate the  English  settlers  from  their  "  Irish  enemies," 
as  the  natives  were  called.  Some  of  its  principal  clauses 
were  :  — 

Principal  Marriages  between  the  two  races  were  for- 

provisions.    bidden,  as  high  treason,  liable  to  punishment 
by  death. 

An  Englishman  adopting  any  Irish  custom  or  mode  of 
dress  was  to  be  punished  by  imprisonment  and  loss  of 
his  lands. 

Where  Irish  and  English  were  living  in  the  same  com- 


1375]        NORMAN  RAIDS  TO  ENGLISH  RULE  129 

munity,  the  Irish  were  required  to  use  the  English  lan- 
guage, while  hitherto  the  settlers  had  much  oftener 
adopted  the  speech  of  the  country. 

Adherence  to  the  Brehon  law  was  considered  treason. 

No  Englishman  should  make  war  on  the  Irish  unless 
with  permission  of  the  government,  so  that  the  Irish 
might  be  held  responsible  for  all  disturbances. 

No  native  priest  could  preach  in  an  English  church, 
or  be  admitted  into  an  English  monastery  in  Ireland. 

Irish  bards  were  to  be  regarded  as  spies,  and  were  not 
to  be  received. 

Other  provisions  were  equally  severe. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  such  a  law  could  not  be  strictly 
enforced.  Throughout  the  greater  part  of  Ire-  Law  not 
land  there  was  no  way  to  compel  obedience  to  e»*o"ed. 
it.  The  powerful  barons  ignored  it  altogether.  The 
authority  of  the  Dublin  government  did  not  extend  a 
mile  beyond  the  Pale.  England  was  at  this  time  too 
completely  absorbed  by  the  Hundred  Years'  War  begun 
by  Edward  III,  who  claimed  the  throne  of  France,  to 
pay  much  attention  to  Ireland. 

114.  Art  MacMurrogh  Kavanagh.  One  of  the  most 
heroic  Irishmen  and  bravest  defenders  of  his  country  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  and  a  man  who  long  boldly 
opposed  Edward's  successor,  Richard  II,  was  Art  Mac- 
Murrogh Kavanagh,  the  native  king  of  Leinster.  He 
had  married  a  daughter  of  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  fourth 
earl  of  Kildare.  Under  the  Statute  of  Kilkenny,  Fitz- 
gerald's daughter  forfeited  her  titles  and  property  by  this 
marriage.  In  addition,  the  Black  Rent  hitherto  paid  to 
Art  MacMurrogh  was  stopped  by  the  Dublin  council. 
Art  was  furious,  and  began  to  burn  and  plunder,  until 
his  Black  Rent  was  restored  as  being  the  lesser  of  two 
evils. 


I30  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1394 

115.  First  Expedition  of  Richard  II,  in  1394.  Mean- 
while Richard  II  was  preparing  the  largest  expedition 
ever  yet  sent  to  Ireland.  Shakespeare  makes  him  an- 
nounce his  intention  thus  :  — 

"  We  will  ourself  in  person  to  this  war. 
And,  for  our  coffers,  with  too  great  a  court, 
And  liberal  largesse,  are  grown  somewhat  light, 
We  are  enforced  to  farm  our  royal  realm  ; 
The  revenue  whereof  shall  furnish  us 
For  our  affairs  in  hand:   if  that  come  short. 
Our  substitutes  at  home  shall  have  blank  charters ; 
Whereto,  when  they  shall  know  what  men  are  rich, 
They  shall  subscribe  them  for  large  sums  of  gold, 
And  send  them  after,  to  supply  our  wants ; 
For  we  will  make  for  Ireland  presently." 

And  again,  speaking  of  his  uncle,  John  of  Gaunt,  brother 
of  Lionel,  duke  of  Clarence  :  — 

"  Now  put  it.  Heaven,  in  his  physician's  mind 
To  help  him  to  his  grave  immediately! 
The  lining  of  his  coffers  shall  make  coats 
To  deck  our  soldiers  for  these  Irish  wars." 

Richard  landed  at  Waterford  in  October,  1394,  with  a 
force  of  thirty-four  thousand  men,  determined  to  punish 
Lands  at  Art  MacMurrogh.  The  latter,  undismayed,  con- 
waterford.  tinned  to  devastate  the  country  about  Dublin, 
putting  all  possible  obstacles  in  the  way  of  Richard's  ad- 
vance. But  the  Irish  chiefs  soon  learned  that  Richard  had 
a  vast  army  with  him,  and  recognized  that  they  could  not 
successfully  oppose  him.  Therefore  seventy  or  more  of 
them,  including  Art  MacMurrogh,  came  to  his  camp,  and 
made  formal  submission  to  him.  There  was  great  rejoi- 
cing in  Dublin  and  throughout  the  Pale,  and  the  secur- 
ity thus  gained  lasted  during  Richard's  stay  in  Ireland. 
The  king  realized  that  the  great  barons  were  the  source 


1397]         NORMAN  RAIDS  TO  ENGLISH  RULE  131 

of  the  most  widespread  evils,  but  did  nothing  effective 
to  curb  their  power.  Richard  knighted  four  Irish  chiefs, 
O'Neill  of  Ulster,  O' Conor  of  Connaught,  Mac-  ^     , ,  ^ 

'  ^      '  Four  Irish 

Murrogh  of  Leinster,  and  O'Brien  of  Thomond,   cMefs 

or  North  Munster.      He  then  returned  to  Eng-       ^ 

land,  leaving  his  authority  in  the  hands  of  his  cousin, 

Roger  Mortimer,  earl  of  March,  at  that  time  the  recog- 


M^ 

^^fc^Bi. 

mwr 

Si 

ii^^ 

M\  ^ttji 

m 

Mm  ^ 

^W 

K 

^m 

BBTijrH^  «H 

|f^KM.*K^    <j^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^BBF_g^S^^H 

iHHhHHS 

Hi 

^  JUlBlil^' '  ^?  ir 

^^H 

Pr^w^'" 

W5P(pBi^^^| 

SHIPS    RELIEVING    RICHARD   IIS    ARMY    ON    THE    WICKLOW    COAST 

Taken  from  a  contemporary  French   manuscript  (1309)  in  the  British  Museum,  which 

gives  a  metrical  account  of  Richard  II's  invasion 

nized  heir  to  the  English  crown.      His  expedition  had 
cost  an  immense  sum,  but  it  accomplished  nothing. 

116.    Richard's  second  expedition  to  Ireland,  1399. 
No    sooner   had  the  king   departed    than  war  „^gjyj^y. 
broke  out  again,  and,  at  the  battle  of  Kells,  in  rogh's 
1397,  Art  MacMurrogh  defeated  the  English  "^®^°''- 
under  the  Earl  of  March.    The  Earl  of  March  was  killed, 


132  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1399 

and  Richard,  eager  to  avenge  him,  at  once  prepared  a 
second  expedition  against  Ireland,  from  which  he  was  to 
be  recalled  to  find  that  his  crown  had  been  seized  by 
Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  who  reigned  as  Henry  IV.  He 
again  landed  at  Waterford,  in  May,  1399,  and  began  the 
march  to  Dublin.  Art  MacMurrogh  and  his  Irish  army, 
as  before,  opposed  him  at  every  step  of  the  way.  Richard 
left  the  open  marshy  country  and  entered  the  forests 
that  stretched  down  from  the  Wicklow  mountains.  Art 
MacMurrogh  quickly  took  advantage  of  this 
disastrous  error.  He  led  his  three  thousand  men  through 
the  woods,  steadily  retiring  before  Richard,  sub- 
jecting him  to  numberless  harassing  attacks,  but  never 
giving  him  battle  in  the  open.  The  English  king  was 
ill  supplied  with  provisions  ;  he  was  perplexed  by  the 
difficulties  of  the  country,  where  forests  and  marshes 
alternated,  and  compelled  to  meet  incessant  attacks. 
Richard  completely  lost  his  way,  and  his  army  was  on 
the  verge  of  starvation,  when  he  finally  emerged  at  a 
point  on  the  Wicklow  coast,  far  to  the  south  of  Dublin. 
Here  three  ships  from  Dublin  brought  provisions,  which 
were  the  means  of  saving  the  army,  Richard  followed 
the  coast  northward  toward  Dublin,  with  Art  MacMur- 
rogh's  army  still  hovering  close  by,  and  attacking  him  at 
Conference  every  opportunity.  MacMurrogh  agreed  to 
roeh^and^^  meet  one  of  Richard's  representatives,  but  a 
Gloucester,  discussion  held  between  him  and  the  Earl  of 
Gloucester  was  without  result.  Richard  was  wroth,  and 
swore  he  would  never  leave  Ireland  until  he  had  cap- 
tured MacMurrogh,  but,  on  his  arrival  at  Dublin,  he  was 
met  by  the  news  of  Bolingbroke's  uprising,  and  returned 
to  England  to  find  that  he  had  lost  his  throne. 

117.  Close  of  Art  MacMurrogh's  career.    After  the 
departure  of  the  English  king,  Art  MacMurrogh  became 


I4I3]         NORMAN  RAIDS  TO  ENGLISH  RULE  133 

so  formidable  that  the  government  decided  to  attempt  a 
reconciUation,  and  agreed  to  compensate  him  for  the  for- 
feiture of  his  wife's  estates.     The  restless  Leinster  chief 


MEETING    OF    ART    MACMURROGH    KAVANAGH    AND    GLOUCESTER 

From  manuscript  mentioned  on  page  131.  MacMurrogh  is  here  described  as  "  a  fine 
large  man  wonderfully  active.  To  look  at  him  he  seemed  very  stern  and  fierce  and  an 
able  man  " 

remained  at  peace  for  a  short  period,  but  his  love  of  war 
soon  got  the  better  of  his  pacific  resolutions,  and  he  re- 
newed his  raids,  plundering  Carlow  and  Castledermot 
in  1405,  and  continuing  through  Wexford.  In  a  battle 
near  Callan  in  Kilkenny,  in  1407,  he  suffered  a  crushing 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  lord  lieutenant,  Sir  Stephen 
Scroope.  Art  MacMurrogh  remained  quiet  for  a  short 
time  after  this  defeat,  but  in  141 3  he  was  once  more 
in  the  field.  He  attacked  the  colony  of  Wexford  in  this 
year,  and  again,  three  years  later,  won  a  decisive  battle 
over  the  combined  forces  of   the   English.     This  was 


134  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1417 

his  last  fight,  as  he  died  in  141 7.  Art  MacMurrogh 
Kavanagh  had  ruled  the  Irish  of  Leinster  for  forty-two 
years,  and,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  subdue  him,  had 
maintained  his  power  and  authority  close  to  the  Eng- 
lish Pale.  .  This  is  an  accurate  measure  of  the  extent 
of  England's  power  in  the  Ireland  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury. 

118.  Conditions  under  Henry  V  and  Henry  VI, 
1413-1461.  For  the  next  thirty  years,  the  condition  of 
Ireland  remained  much  the  same.  The  kings  of  Eng- 
land were  still  too  completely  engrossed  by  the  Hundred 
Years'  War  with  France  to  pay  much  attention  to  Ire- 
land, The  authority  of  the  Dublin  government  dwindled 
to  almost  nothing.  The  great  barons  were  stronger  than 
before.  The  native  chiefs,  as  of  old,  were  fighting  among 
themselves  and  against  the  English  lords.  During  the 
Sir  John  reign  of  Henry  V,  Sir  John  Talbot  was  sent 
Talbot.  over,  and  temporarily  subdued  four  trouble- 
some chiefs  :  O' Moore,  MacMahon,  O'Hanlon,  and 
O'Neill.  He  quartered  his  soldiers  on  the  people  of 
the  Pale,  however,  and  thus  caused  them  as  much  suffer- 
ing as  they  would  have  endured  from  the  raids  of  the 
Irish  chieftains. 

After  the  accession  of  Henry  VI,  in  1422,  a  quarrel  of 
twenty  years'  duration  broke  out  between  the  Butlers 
and  the  Talbots,  which  brought  the  English  settlement 
to  the  verge  of  ruin.  Confusion  and  corruption  were 
rife  in  the  Pale.  Debts  remained  unpaid,  and  extortions 
of  all  kinds  were  inflicted  on  the  poor  people  by  the 
Duke  of  officials.  A  short  respite  was  enjoyed,  in  the 
York.  year    1450,  when    Richard   Plantagenet,  duke 

of  York,  was  lord  lieutenant.  He  made  the  great  inno- 
vation of  adopting  fair  measures  toward  both  parties, 
and  was  deservedly  popular.     His  appointment  had  been 


1463]         NORMAN  RAIDS  TO  ENGLISH  RULE  135 

for  ten  years,  but  Jack  Cade's  insurrection,  breaking  out 
in  England  in  the  following  year,  compelled  his  return. 

119.  The  \^rars  of  the  Roses.  The  Wars  of  the 
Roses,  which  began  in  England  in  1455,  between  the 
rival  houses  of  Lancaster  and  York,  having  as  their  em- 
blems the  Red  and  the  White  Rose,  were  destined  to 
last  for  thirty  years.  In  Ireland,  the  Geraldines  took 
the  side  of  the  House  of  York,  while  the  Butlers  sided 
with  the  House  of  Lancaster.     Not   only  did  „     ,,, 

J  Geraldines 

these  great  Norman  lords  fight  in  Ireland,  but  and 
they  even  went  to  England,  carrying  Irish  ^^^^®"' 
armies  with  them,  to  fight  for  the  rival  princes.  Their 
absence  gave  the  Irish  chiefs  fresh  opportunities  to 
reassert  themselves,  and  to  recover  still  more  of  their 
former  power.  The  two  factions  also  fought  several 
battles  on  Irish  soil.  Among  the  captives  at  one  of 
these  battles  was  MacRichard  Butler,  whose  ransom 
consisted  of  two  Irish  manuscripts,  the  Psalter  of  Cashel 
and  the  Book  of  Carrick.  A  part  of  the  Psalter  of 
Cashel  still  exists  in  the  Bodleian  Library  at  Oxford, 
and  an  account  of  this  incident  is  recorded  on  one  of  its 
pages. 

120.  Thomas,  earl  of  Desmond,  1463-1467.  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  eighth  earl  of  Desmond,  was  appointed  lord 
lieutenant  in  1463.  He  was  popular  with  both  factions, 
was  a  patron  of  learning,  and  founded  and  endowed  the 
college  of  Youghal  in  Cork.  He  exercised  his  authority 
for  four  years,  and  somewhat  mitigated  the  evils  which 
existed  in  and  beyond  the  Pale.  Edward  IV,  against  the 
wishes  of  many  of  his  friends,  had  refused  to  marry  a 
princess  of  France,  and  thus  strengthen  his  throne.  He 
had  wedded  a  lady  of  noble  though  not  of  royal  blood, 
and  this  had  caused  Warwick  the  king-maker  to  quarrel 
with  him.     The  Earl  of  Desmond  incautiously  criticised 


136 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1467 


the  queen,  and  his  words,  reported  to  King  Edward, 
were  made  the  basis  of  a  charge  of  high  treason.  Des- 
Executed.  niond  was  arrested,  condemned  for  his  words 
1467.  concerning  the  queen,  and  also  for  a  breach  of 

the  Statute  of  Kilkenny,  in  making  alliances  with  the 
native  Irish  chiefs,  and  executed  in  1467.  Garrett  Fitz- 
gerald, the  eighth  earl  of  Kildare,  called  the  Great  Earl, 
succeeded  him  as  lord  lieutenant. 

121.  Conditions  within  the  Pale.      When   Henry  II 
visited  Ireland,  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  future 
Irish   Parliament,  by  calling  an  assembly  of  the 
Norman  barons,  to  whom  he  had  granted  lands. 
These  powerful  tenants   of  the  crown,   together 
with    the   English   archbishops 
and  bishops,  formed  the  kernel 
of  the  future  parliament,  which 
gradually  gained  authority,  and 
acquired  the  right  to  vote  sup- 
plies   of    money   for   the  king, 
and  to  make  laws  for  the  Eng- 
lish colonists  in  Ireland.   These 
colonists  were  grouped  within 
the   Pale,  which   had  gradually 
been  diminished   in    area  until 
it  included  only  Louth  and  parts 
of  Dublin,  Meath,  and  Kildare, 
and  was  now  wholly  unable  to 
cope  with  its  assailants.    Failing 
in  armed  force,  the  Dublin  gov- 
^rcioffe^ffS'up^^^^^^^^  ernment    tried   to   assert    itself 

^eet  below  the  surface  of  a  bog  in      ^^    ^^^^    ^^     Parliament,     which 

were  very  often  unjust  to  the 
Irish.  For  example,  in  1465  the  Dublin  Parliament 
passed  an  act  ordering  every  Irishman  within  the  Pale 


COSTUME  OF  THE  NATIVE  IRISH 
OF  THE  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY 


1467]         NORMAN    RAIDS    TO    ENGLISH    RULE         1 3/ 

to  adopt  the  English  dress  and  an  English  name,  on  pain 
of  forfeiture  of  his  property.  To  this  ordinance  is  due 
the  fact  that  many  Irishmen  took  names   of  ^ 

■'  Oppressive 

towns,  like  Cork,  Trim,  Sutton  ;  or  colors,  like  and  unjust 
Black,  Brown,  Green;  or  trades,  like  Carpen-  *^^" 
ter  and  Smith.  Another  act  forbade  fishing  in  waters 
belonging  to  the  native  chiefs,  as  the  money  paid  for 
this  privilege  would  enrich  the  latter,  to  the  detriment 
of  the  English.  Most  unjust  was  a  criminal  provision 
which  made  it  lawful  to  execute  any  thief  caught  in  the 
act,  unless  he  was  in  the  company  of  an  Englishman. 
This  made  many  opportunities  for  false  accusations,  as 
any  Irishman  might  be  murdered,  and  his  head  taken 
to  the  mayor,  with  the  accusation  that  he  had  been 
caught  stealing.  His  murderer  not  only  escaped  punish- 
ment, but  was  even  paid  a  reward.  It  is  true  that  the 
Pale  swarmed  with  robbers  ;  but  a  law  like  this  was 
more  likely  to  increase  crime  than  to  diminish  it. 

SUMMARY 

The  Normans  who  had  settled  in  Great  Britain  had  by  this 
time  lost  their  Norman  character  and  were  blended  with  the 
English  nation,  so  that  all  newcomers  from  Britain  to  Ireland 
may  henceforth  be  called  Englishmen.  The  old  Norman 
barons  began  now  to  side  with  the  Irish,  and  looked  upon 
these  new  settlers  as  hostile  intruders,  and  wars  and  murders 
were  frequent.  The  English  government  maintained  its  only 
real  authority  in  the  small  district  round  Dublin  known  as 
the  "  Pale."  It  was  often  forced  to  pay  Black  Rent  or  to 
call  in  the  help  of  some  Norman  or  Irish  chief  to  protect  it 
against  the  attacks  of  others. 

The  Irish  already  suffered  greatly  through  the  injustice  of 
the  Norman  law,  which  afforded  protection  to  the  English 
only.     To  make  matters  worse,  in  1367  the  Statute  of  Kil- 


138  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1467 

kenny  was  passed,  which  contained  measures  calculated  fur- 
ther to  separate  the  two  races. 

Richard  II  made  two  expeditions  to  Ireland  in  1394  and 
1399  to  subdue  Art  MacMurrogh  Kavanagh,  who  was  the 
most  active  of  the  Irish  chiefs.  The  kings  of  England  were, 
however,  too  much  engrossed  in  the  Hundred  Years'  War 
with  France  to  accomplish  anything  effective  in  Ireland. 

A  subsidiary  War  of  the  Roses  was  carried  on  in  Ireland 
between  the  Geraldines  and  Butlers  while  the  great  war  was 
going  on  in  England,  1455-1485.  The  Butlers,  who  were  the 
Lancastrians,  were  defeated.  In  1465,  the  Irish  Parliament 
passed  more  unjust  laws  to  be  enforced  against  the  Irish 
within  the  Pale. 


CHAPTER    XV 
RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  GERALDINES 

1485-1537 

English  Sovereigns: 

Henry  VII,  1485-1509         Henry  VIII,  1509-1547 

122.  Henry  VII.  The  Wars  of  the  Roses  were  ended 
in  1485,  by  the  accession  of  the  Lancastrian  Henry  VII, 
who  founded  the  House  of  Tudor.  Under  this  Hne  of 
sovereigns,  the  English  were  destined  to  extend  their 
power  in  Ireland,  regaining  much  lost  ground.  During 
this  period,  more  attention  was  paid  to  Irish  problems, 
and  an  attempt  was  made  to  find  a  serious  solution  for 
them.     Henry  realized  that,  if  Endish  author- 

•1  •      T     1        11  n  Power  of 

ity  was  to  prevail  in  Ireland,  he  must  nrst  com-  the  Irish 
promise  with  the  great  barons  and  conciliate  ^°^^®^" 
them,  for  much  depended  on  their  support.  The  Ger- 
aldines  were  very  powerful  at  this  time,  and  though  they 
had  sided  with  the  House  of  York,  and  opposed  Henry, 
the  latter  nevertheless  retained  the  Great  Earl  of  Kil- 
dare  as  lord  lieutenant,  until  Kildare  gave  his  adherence, 
in  1487,  to  Lambert  Simnel,  a  Yorkist  pretender  to  the 
English  throne.  The  earls  of  Kildare,  it  should  be  re- 
membered, were  the  Leinster  Geraldines,  the  earls  of 
Desmond  being  the  Munster  branch  of  the  family. 

123.  Poynings*  Law.  Besides  the  military  force  of 
the  Norman  barons  in  Ireland,  a  strong  obstacle  to  the 
authority  of  the  English  crown  lay  in  the  control  which 


I40  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1494 

these  barons  exercised  over  the  parhament  at  Dublin. 
Henry  VII  took  measures  to  weaken  the  parhament. 
He  sent  over  a  new  lord  lieutenant,  Sir  Edward  Poyn- 

ino^s,    to    undermine   the    power    of    the    bar- 
ParUament        ^         ^  ^  ,  f      .       ,  ,       , 

of  Droghe-  ons.  After  a  short  campaign  m  the  north,  the 
da.  1494.  ^^^^  j^^^  lieutenant  convened  a  parliament  at 
Drogheda,  in  1494,  and  at  this  session  was  passed  the 
famous  Poynings'  Law,  which  contained  the  following 
provisions  :  — 

1.  All  Acts  intended  to  be  passed  by  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment must  first  be  submitted  to  the  king  of  England 
and  his  Privy  Council. 

2.  English  laws  were  to  be  enforced  in  Ireland. 

3.  The  Statute  of  Kilkenny  was  revived,  alliances  be- 
tween the  two  races  being  once  more  forbidden,  though 
the  use  of  the  Irish  language  was  now  permitted. 

4.  It  was  made  a  felony  to  allow  enemies  or  rebels, 
that  is,  native  Irish  who  resisted  English  authority,  to 
pass  through  the  districts  on  the  border  of  the  Pale. 

5.  Certain  high  offices,  such  as  those  of  the  chancel- 
lor, the  treasurer,  the  master  of  the  rolls,  and  judges, 
which  had  formerly  been  held  for  life,  were  now  held 
only  during  the  king's  pleasure. 

124.  Results  of  Poynings'  Law.  All  the  measures 
carried  out  by  the  new  lord  lieutenant  had  two  objects  : 
to  make  the  great  Norman  nobles  more  dependent  on  the 
king,  ^nd  to  protect  the  common  people  within  the  Pale 
from  violence.  Up  to  this  time  the  Irish  Parliament 
had  been  entirely  independent;  it  had  been  called  by  the 
lord  lieutenant  when  it  seemed  necessary  to  him,  and 
had  passed  laws  suited  to  Irish  conditions.  Poynings'  Law 
made  the  Irish  Parliament  an  echo  of  the  English.  The 
worst  consequences  of  this  step  were  not  at  once  seen, 
because  the  native  Irish  had   had  no  share  in  legisla- 


1496]       RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  GERALDINES       141 

tion  hitherto,  and  therefore  did  not  visibly  lose  any- 
thing^.    The  parliament  was  wholly  an  institu- 

^  ,  Z  Dependence 

tion  of  the  Pale,  and  no  native  Irishman  could   of  the  Irish 

either  vote  or  sit  in  it.  In  later  times,  when  "  ament. 
the  whole  of  Ireland  came  under  English  law,  and  the 
Irish  Parliament  made  laws  for  the  entire  country,  for 
the  natives  and  the  colonists  alike,  the  injustice  of  this 
restriction  was  a  fruitful  source  of  evil.  Irishmen  were 
forced  to  submit  to  laws  which  they  had  no  voice  in 
making,  and  which  were  passed  in  another  country  by 
men^who  knew  neither  their  wants  nor  their  situation. 
Long  years  of  strife  passed  before  the  repeal  of  this 
unjust  law  was  finally  secured. 

125.  Trial  and  acquittal  of  the  Earl  of  Kildare. 
Another  act  passed  by  this  parliament  at  Drogheda 
accused  the  Earl  of  Kildare  of  treason  for  attempting  to 
oppose  the  authority  of  Sir  Edward  Poynings.  Kildare 
had  been  pardoned  for  his  support  of  Lambert  Simnel. 
This  time  he  was  arrested  and  taken  to  England  for  trial. 
Henry  VII  realized  that  the  death  of  the  Earl  of  Kil- 
dare would  deprive  him  of  a  valuable  officer.  For  some 
time,  Kildare  was  kept  a  prisoner  in  London,  but  he  was 
at  last  brought  to  trial,  in  1496,  and  forced  to  answer 
many  charges,  largely  for  imaginary  offences.  One  of 
the  gravest  accusations  made  by  his  enemies  was  that 
he  had  burned  the  cathedral  at  Cashel.  "  Spare  your 
evidence!  "  said  the  Earl  of  Kildare,  ''I  did  set  fire  to 
the  church,  for  I  thought  the  archbishop  was  in  it ! " 

Kildare  was  then  given  the  right  to  choose  his  own 
advocate,  to  defend  him  against  these  charges.  Taking 
King  Henry  by  the  hand,  Kildare  exclaimed  :  "Yes,  your 
highness,  I  choose  the  ablest  in  the  realm.  Your  high- 
ness I  take  for  my  counsel  against  these  false  knaves  !  " 
Toward    the  end  of   the    trial,   one   of    his    opponents, 


142  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1496 

exasperated  at  his  bold  front,   exclaimed,  *'  All  Ireland 
cannot  govern  this  earl !  "    The  king  replied  : 
made  '*  Then  this  earl  shall  govern  all  Ireland  !  "  and 

deputy.        Kildare  was  once  more  made  lord  lieutenant, 
and  returned  to  Dublin  in  triumph. 

126.  Kildare  defeats  Burke  of  Clanrickard.  One  of 
the  most  important  acts  of  the  reappointed  lord  lieutenant 
was  the  defeat  of  William  Burke,  lord  of  Clanrickard. 
This  fight  was  the  result  of  a  private  quarrel.  The  lord 
of  Clanrickard,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  "degenerate 
English"  of  Connaught,  had  married  Kildare's  daughter 
and  had  treated  her  harshly.  His  father-in-law  remon- 
strated with  him,  and  from  words  they  came  to  blows. 
On  the  side  of  Lord  Clanrickard  were  ranged  O'Brien  of 
Thomond  and  the  Irish  chiefs  of  Munster.  The  Earl  of 
Kildare  was  seconded  by  the  O'Kellys  and  many  of  the 
northern  chiefs.    The  two  parties  met  at  Knockdoe,  "the 

hill  of  the  axes,"  a  few  miles  from  Galwav,  in 

Battle  of  •' 

Knockdoe.     August,   1504,  and  there  was  great  slaughter 

^^°**  on  both  sides.     The  victory,  however,  remained 

with  the  Earl  of   Kildare  and   his  northern  allies,  and 

two  of  Lord  Clanrickard's  sons  were  captured  and  held 

as    hostages.     The    "degenerate    English"    received   a 

severe  blow  through  this  defeat,  and  King  Henry  VII, 

naturally  gratified  by  this  result,  rewarded  the  Earl  of 

Kildare  with  the  order  of  the  Garter, 

127.  Accession  of  Henry  VIII,  1509.  Henry  VII 
died  in  the  year  1509,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Henry  VIII.  The  new  monarch  retained,  as  lord  lieuten- 
ant, the  Earl  of  Kildare,  who  continued  to  represent  the 

king  at  Dublin  for  four  years  more.  In  these 
the  old  earl    closing  years  of  his  life,  he  was  also  engaged  in 

fighting,  but  his  former  good  fortune  deserted 
him.     In    15 10,    he   invaded    Munster,   and   was    badly 


I5I3]       RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  GERALDINES       143 


defeated  near  Limerick  by  his  former  opponents,  O'Brien 
and  Clanrickard.  For  three  more  years,  Kildare  con- 
tinued to  fight,  finally  losing  his  life  in  an  attack  on  the 
castle  of  one  of  the  native  chiefs. 

On  the  death  of  the  old  earl,  there  was  an  outbreak 
in  the  army.     The  Dublin  Council  decided  that  „, 

■J  His  son, 

the   most  practical  step    to  allay  the  disturb-  Garrett 

1  ,  ,.  ^    •'  .  ^^.,      Fitzgerald, 

ance  among  the  soldiers  was  to  nommate  Kil-  made  lord 
dare's  son,  Garrett  Fitzgerald  the  younger,  as   ^®^*®^^^' 
lord  lieutenant,  without  waiting  to  hear  from  the  king, 
who,  however,  confirmed  the  nomination. 

128.  Career  of  Garrett  Fitzgerald,  ninth  earl  of 
Kildare.  The  new  earl  of  Kildare,  the  ninth  to  bear 
that  title,  was  as  war- 
like as  his  father,  and 
quite  as  much  dreaded 
by  the  feudal  lords  of 
Ireland.  His  chief  en- 
emies were  the  But- 
lers, who  had  opposed 
the  Geraldines  in  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses. 
They  lost  no  time  in 
seekingmeans  to  bring 
about  his  ruin.  The 
Karlof  Ormond  Pierce  armorial  bearings  of  the  fitzgeralds, 

'  EARLS    OF    KILDARE 

Roe,  head  of  the  But- 
lers, had  a  strong  ally  in  Henry's  great  minister,  Cardi- 
nal Wolsey,  whom  he  finally  persuaded  to  take  action 
against  the  Geraldines.     Wolsey  assented  the 

,    .  Wolsey 

more  willingly,  because  he  hated  Kildare,  whose   opposes 
independence  and  haughty  manner  had  offended 
the  still  more  haughty  cardinal.     The  Earl  of  Kildare 
was  summoned  to  England,  on  a  charge  of  attempting 


144 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1521 


Surrey 
made  lord 
lieutenant, 


to  appropriate  the  king's  Irish  revenues  to  his  personal 
use  ;  and,  furthermore,  of  having  suspicious  relations  with 
the  native  Irish  chiefs.  Kildare  was  tried  and  completely 
acquitted,  but  was  not  restored  to  the  ofhce  of  lord  lieu- 
tenant. An  enemy  of  Kildare' s,  the  Earl  of  Surrey,  was 
made  lord  lieutenant  in  his  place  at  Wolsey's 
suggestion.  The  rule  of  Surrey  was  very  bene- 
ficial to  the  English  colony  in  the  Pale.  He 
quelled  a  number  of  uprisings  with  justice  and  modera- 
tion. He  was  ill  supplied  with  funds,  however,  and  this 
so  displeased   him   that  he    resigned    and    returned    to 

EnHand  in  IK21.     Pierce  Roe  Butler,   earl  of 
Ormond  * 

succeeds       Ormond,  was  made  lord  lieutenant.    Meanwhile 

^'  Kildare,  who   had   remained   in   England,  had 

married  the  Lady  Elizabeth  Grey,  a  relative  of  the  king, 

and  this  alliance  as- 
sured his  safety  for  a 
time  at  least.  The 
new  lord  lieutenant 
directed  all  his  ener- 
gies to  weakening  Kil- 
dare's  position  in  Ire- 
land. He  led  an  army 
into  the  territory  of, 
his  rival,  and  cap- 
tured several  castles. 
In  1523,  Kildare  was 
permitted  to  return  to 
Ireland.  His  indignation  at  the  state  of  his  lands  roused 
Kildare  re-  him  to  an  immediate  attack  on  the  chief  of  the 
appointed.  Butlers.  The  king  was  alarmed,  and  sent  over 
a  commission  to  settle  the  dispute.  This  commission 
decided  in  favor  of  Kildare,  who  was  reappointed  lord 
lieutenant  in  1524. 


ARMORIAL    BEARINGS    OF    THE    BUTLERS, 
EARLS   OF   ORMOND 


1529]     RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  GERALDINES         145 

The  enemies  of  the  Earl  of  Kildare  did  not  cease  trying 
to  accomphsh  his  ruin.  The  Earl  of  Desmond,  head  of 
the  Munster  Geraldines,  had  entered  into  correspondence 
with  Francis  I,  king  of  France,  hoping  to  induce  him 
to  invade  Ireland.  When  news  of  this  correspondence 
came  to  King  Henry's  ears,  he  ordered  the  arrest  of  the 
Earl  of  Desmond.  The  fulfilment  of  this  command  fell 
to  the  Earl  of  Kildare,  who  undertook  it  most  reluc- 
tantly.   Desmond  was  his  kinsman,  and  Kildare    .„ 

■^  \  Allowed 

was  accused  of  having  allowed  his  escape,  as  Desmond  to 
he  probably  did,  for  Desmond  was  not  arrested.  ®^^*'®" 
This  disregard  of  the  king's  command,  and  certain  minor 
charges  against  Kildare,  gave  Wolsey  and  Pierce  Roe 
Butler  the  opportunity  they  had  long  sought.  Kildare 
was  again  summoned  to  London.  He  went  there  in 
1526,  but  was  not  detained.  He  was  deprived,  however, 
of  most  of  his  power  and  was  asked  to  act  as  adviser  to 
a  new  lord  lieutenant.  Sir  William  Skeffington.  The 
proud  earl  could  not  long  endure  this  subsidiary  position. 
He  made  vigorous  efforts  to  secure  his  reappointment, 
and  through  his  personal  influence  with  the  king  com- 
pletely succeeded  in  1529. 

Kildare,  once  more  in  high  favor  with  the  king  of 
England,  feared  no  attacks.  He  married  his  two  daugh- 
ters to  two  very  powerful  Irish  chiefs.  He  removed  one 
lord  chancellor  and  appointed  another.  To  avenge  him- 
self on  his  old  enemy,  Pierce  Roe  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond, 
he  invaded  the  territory  of  the  Butlers.  It  is  probable 
that  at  this  time  Kildare  began  to  cherish  larger  ambi- 
tions, for  he  encouraged  his  brother,  James  Fitz-  yhs 
gerald,  and  his  cousin.  Conn  O'Neill,  to  attack  ambiUon. 
the  English  of  Louth,  whose  territory  formed  part  of  the 
Pale.  This  act,  and  the  ceaseless  hostility  of  Wolsey, 
brought  him  a  third  summons  from  King  Henry  VIII. 


146  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1534 

Instead  of  obeying  it  promptly,  Kildare  lingered  in  Ire- 
land, fortifying  his  castles,  and  strengthening  his  position 
in  a  way  which  suggested  rebellion. 

At  last,  in  1534,  another  summons  came  from  King 
Henry,  in  such  terms  as  to  permit  no  further  delay. 
His  im-  Kildare  left  Ireland  full  of  misgivings.  When 
prisonment  he  reached  London  he  was  imprisoned  in  the 
and  death,     j^^ygj-      f|g  igf^-    ]^[^  ^q^  Thomas,   commonly 

known  as  "  Silken  Thomas,"  from  the  richness  of  his 
raiment  and  retinue,  as  lord  lieutenant  in  his  place. 
Silken  Thomas  was  then  a  youth  twenty-one  years  old. 
He  had  little  of  the  skill  in  affairs  possessed  by  his 
father  and  grandfather,  and  was  too  easily  influenced  by 
those  about  him.  A  false  report  of  his  father's  death, 
purposely  circulated  by  his  rivals,  together  with  a  rumor 
that  the  execution  of  several  of  his  kinsmen  was  contem- 
plated, caused  the  young  earl  to  renounce  his  allegiance 
to  the  English  king,  and  to  enter  on  that  hopeless 
struggle  which  brought  ruin  to  himself  and  his  house. 
The  old  earl  died  of  a  broken  heart  in  the  Tower,  when 
he  heard  of  his  son's  wild  act,  and  foresaw  its  conse- 
quences. 

129.  Rebellion  of  Silken  Thomas.  Thomas  Fitz- 
gerald laid  siege  to  Dublin,  and  although  he  failed  to 
Siege  of  take  the  city  he  caused  great  suffering  to  its 
Dublin.  inhabitants  and  to  the  surrounding  districts. 
Thomas  Fitzgerald  and  his  followers  came  under  the  ban 
of  excommunication  because  of  the  murder  of  an  arch- 
bishop, who  took  the  king's  side,  and  was  captured  by 
the  insurgent  army.  Silken  Thomas  granted  his  appeal 
for  mercy,  but  the  soldiers  wilfully  misinterpreted  their 
orders,  and  murdered  the  archbishop. 

Neither  party  gained  any  decided  advantage.  Parts 
of  Kildare  and   Meath,  as  well  as  the  districts  around 


1534]       RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  GERALDINES       I47 

Dublin,  were  devastated.  Skeffington  had  been  reap- 
pointed lord  lieutenant  in  1534,  and  his  arrival  skeiiington 
in  Dublin  was  hailed  by  the  colonists.  It  was  "'4^?°^?-'* 
late  in  the  year,  and  the  lord  lieutenant  con-  tenant, 
sidered  it  inadvisable  to  begin  a  campaign  that  winter. 
In  the  early  spring  hostilities  were  opened  by  Betrayal  of 
the  siege  of  Maynooth,  one  of  the  strongest  of  Maynooth. 
the  Geraldine  castles,  on  the  borders  of  Kildare  and 
Meath.     Skeffington  would  never  have  been  able  to  take 


IRISH    KNIGHTS    AND    THEIR    ATTENDANTS    IN    1521 

From  a  drawing  by  Albert  Diirer,  preserved  in  Vienna.  The  artist,  who  was  in  the  Low 
Countries  at  this  time,  and  doubtless  saw  Irish  knights  and  their  followers,  calls  them 
"  War  Men  "  and  "  Poor  Men."  The  mantles  and  axes  of  the  latter  are  typically  Irish ; 
the  armor  and  swords  of  the  former  are  less  typical 

it  had  it  not  been  betrayed  to  him.  This  loss  some- 
what discouraged  the  rebels,  and  Silken  Thomas  lost 
one  of  his  strongest  allies,  O'Moore  of  Leix,  who  was 
persuaded  by  the  Butlers  to  desert  his  cause. 

Finally  Lord  Grey,  commander  of  the  English  forces 


148  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1535 

in  Ireland,  proceeded  with  a  large  force  against  Silken 

Thomas,  and  soon  put  an  end  to  the  rebellion. 
Thomas 
surrenders.    Silken  Thomas,  who  had  lost  all  his  allies  but 

1535.  O' Conor,  surrendered  on  condition  that  his  life 

should  be  spared.  He  sailed  for  England  in  1535  assured 
of  a  pardon.  On  his  way  to  Windsor,  however,  he  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  where  he  remained 
for  eighteen  months,  when  he  was  executed  together 
with  five  of  his  kinsmen  who  had  been  captured  by  Grey. 
Thus  the  executioner's  axe  put  an  end  to  the  greatness 
of  the  house  of  Kildare.  Their  lands  were  devastated, 
their  strongholds  torn  down,  and  the  glory  of  their  family 
was  eclipsed. 

130.  First  Geraldine  League.  There  remained,  how- 
ever, two  young  sons  of  the  ninth  earl  of  Kildare  and 
the  Lady  Elizabeth  Grey.  Gerald  Fitzgerald,  brother 
and  heir  of  Silken  Thomas,  was  a  boy  of  ten.  The  earls 
of  Kildare  were  connected  either  by  blood  or  by  marriage 
with  the  chief  Norman  and  native  families  of  Ireland  ; 
the  two  youths  were,  therefore,  well  provided 

1537.  .  ,  •'  „^.\        ,        ,  r 

With  protectors.  With  the  hope  01  restoring 
the  heir  of  the  house  of  Kildare  to  his  rights,  the 
O'Donnells,  Desmonds,  O'Briens,  O'Conors,  and  others 
combined  in  what  was  known  as  the  first  Geraldine 
League.  Conn  O'Neill  was  at  its  head.  The  king  feared 
the  threatening  attitude  of  the  league,  and  was  not  un- 
willing to  conciliate  them.  But  it  was  not  until  fifteen 
years  later  that  the  estates  were  restored  to  the  heir  of 
the  Kildares,  and  two  years  more  passed  before  the  title 
was  revived.  The  new  earl  never  regained  the  position 
of  power  and  influence  held  by  his  forefathers. 


1537]       RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  GERALDINES       149 

SUMMARY 

When  Henry  VII  ascended  the  throne,  the  Geraldines 
were  the  most  influential  of  the  Anglo-Irish  families.  In 
spite  of  their  Yorkist  sympathies  Henry  deemed  it  best  to 
extend  his  favor  to  them,  and  placed  Garrett,  the  eighth 
earl  of  Kildare,  in  the  office  of  lord  lieutenant.  The  latter 
was  superseded  by  Poynings,  shortly  after  the  rebellion  of 
Lambert  Simnel.  Henry  now  had  a  law  passed  known  as 
Poynings'  Law,  which  virtually  destroyed  the  independence 
of  the  Irish  Parliament,  and  made  it  absolutely  subservient  to 
the  English  Privy  Council.  The  Geraldines  were  becoming 
daily  more  powerful.  Kildare  was  reappointed  lord  lieu- 
tenant, and  remained  in  office  until  his  death  in  1513.  His 
son,  Garrett  the  younger,  ninth  earl  of  Kildare,  had  two 
bitter  enemies  who  finally  accomplished  his  downfall.  Pierce 
Roe,  earl  of  Ormond,  head  of  the  Butlers,  and  Cardinal 
Wolsey.  Twice  he  was  summoned  to  England  to  answer 
charges,  and  acquitted,  each  time  returning  to  enjoy  in- 
creased power.  The  third  time  his  enemies  were  successful. 
He  was  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  and  his  son,  Silken 
Thomas,  a  youth  of  little  ability,  led  an  unsuccessful  rebel- 
lion. The  old  earl  died  of  a  broken  heart  in  1534.  Silken 
Thomas  was  executed  the  following  year.  The  power  of  the 
Geraldines  was  broken,  and  in  years  to  come  the  family 
regained  but  little  of  its  influence. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

THE    REFORMATION,    AND     CONFISCATION    OF 
CHURCH    PROPERTY 

1534-1582 

English  Sovereigns  : 

Henry  VIII,  1 509-1 547         Mary,  1 553-1558 
Edward  VI,  1547-1553  Elizabeth,  1558-1603 

131.  Henry  VIII  and  the  Reformation.  During 
the  reign  of  Henry  VIII  of  England,  events  took  place 
in  Europe  which  had  a  marked  influence  on  Ireland. 
The  various  upheavals  in  the  Catholic  Church,  inaugu- 
rated by  Martin  Luther  and  carried  forward  by  Zwingli 
and  Calvin,  had  developed  into  the  movement  called  the 
Reformation.  Protestantism  spread  gradually  through 
Germany,  Switzerland,  and  other  parts  of  northern  and 
western  Europe.  In  this  movement  England  at  first  took 
no  part,  though  tendencies  in  the  same  direction  had  ex- 
isted there  since  the  days  of  John  Wiclif.  Henry  VIII 
even  wrote  a  book  attacking  Luther's  views,  and,  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  this  defence,  the  Pope  conferred  on 
him  the  title  of  "Defender  of  the  Faith,"  still  borne  by 
the  sovereigns  of  England.  It  is  true  that  Henry  VIII 
later  came  into  open  hostility  to  the  Holy  See,  but  this 
opposition  concerned  his  divorce  and  remarriage,  and 
not  the  questions  of  doctrine  and  discipline  which  had 
been  raised  by  Martin  Luther. 

Henry's  marriage  in  opposition  to  the  decree  of  the 


1537]  THE    REFORMATION  151 

church  caused  his  excommunication.  He  replied  by 
disavowing  the  authority  of  Rome,  and  declaring  himself 
the  only  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church  within  his  domin- 
ions.    He  embodied  this  declaration  in  the  Act    .     . 

Act  of 

of  Supremacy  passed  in  1534.  Many  of  the  Supremacy 
leading  men  in  his  kingdom  refused  to  acknow-  ^"  England. 
ledge  him  as  their  spiritual  head,  and  were  put  to  death. 
Two  of  the  most  prominent  of  these  were  Bishop  Fisher 
and  Sir  Thomas  More,  author  of  "  Utopia." 

Henry  VHI  was  determined  to  establish  his  position 
as  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church  in  Ireland  also,  and  he 
intrusted  the  execution  of  his  will  to  Skeffington,  the 
lord  lieutenant,  Pierce  Roe  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  and 
a  friar  named  George  Brown  who  was  appointed  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin.  The  latter  was  immediately  and  vigor- 
ously opposed  by  Archbishop  Cromer,  the  Primate  of 
Ireland,  at  the  See  of  Armagh,  and  Henry  was  forced  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  his  revolutionary  action  would 
not  be  tamely  accepted.  In  1536,  a  parliament  was  as- 
sembled at  Dublin,  and  an  act  was  passed,  similar 
to  the  English  Act  of  Supremacy,  by  which  Act  of 
Henry  VIII  was  declared  Supreme  Head  of  f^J^i^S^ 
the  Church  in  Ireland.  All  government  offi-  i536. 
cials  were  ordered  to  take  the  oath  of  supremacy,  fail- 
ure to  do  so  being  considered  high  treason,  and  involving 
loss  of  office,  and  probable  imprisonment  and  death. 

It  was  practically  impossible  to  enforce  the  new  order 
of  things  on  all  the  religious  houses  in  Ireland,  which  at 
that  time  were  powerful  institutions,  affiliated  with  kin- 
dred bodies  on  the  continent.  Henry  VIII  determined 
to  solve  the  matter  by  suppressing  them  out- 

c^      e  '  -11  Suppression 

right.      So  far  as  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  his  of  the  mon- 

officers  dispersed  the  friars  and  monks,  seizing  *^*®'^^^- 

their  lands  and  dispersing  their  communities.     About 


152  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1541 

four  hundred  monastic  establishments  were  thus  broken 
up  in  all  parts  of  Ireland,  and  their  inmates  made  home- 
less. Henry  granted  their  lands  to  his  friends  and  fol- 
lowers, and  the  beautiful  abbey  churches  were  allowed 
to  fall  into  neglect,  and  often  into  ruin. 

132.  The  Parliament  of  1541.  So  much  for  the 
question  of  religion.  Lord  Grey,  who  had  succeeded 
Skeffington  as  lord  lieutenant,  undertook  at  the  same 
time  to  assert  Henry's  civil  authority.  He  attacked  the 
recently  formed  "  Geraldine  League,"  and  compelled  its 
chiefs  to  submit  to  his  authority.  Two  of  the  leaders, 
however,  the  lords  of  Desmond  and  Thomond,  still  stood 
out  against  Henry's  power  in  the  southwest.  In  1541, 
Henry  a  parliament  was  assembled  in  Dublin,  to  pass 
kingT  a"  ^ct  declaring  Henry  'King  of  Ireland,' 
Ireland.  instead  of  '  Lord  of  Ireland,'  the  title  which  had 
previously  been  borne  by  the  sovereigns  of  England 
since  the  time  of  King  John.  By  the  king's  express 
direction  both  Anglo-Irish  and  native  chiefs  were  asked 
to  sit  in  this  parliament,  the  latter  thus  appearing  for  the 
first  time  in  any  legislative  body.  The  act  investing  the 
king  with  his  new  title  was  quickly  passed  by  both  houses, 
and  the  chiefs,  worn  out  with  incessant  fighting,  were 
not  unwilling  to  accept  Henry's  overtures  of 
the  Irish  peace.  A  better  feeling  began,  and  English 
chiefs.  titles  were  conferred  on  many  Irish  chiefs  ; 
among  others,  Conn  O'Neill  was  made  earl  of  Tyrone, 
and  his  son  Matthew  was  made  baron  of  Dungannon, 
with  the  right  to  succeed  to  his  father's  titles.  We 
shall  again  hear  of  both  father  and  son.  Henry  VIII 
also  made  two  new  political  divisions  by  forming  two 
counties  out  of  the  province  of  Meath :  Meath  proper 
and  Westmeath. 

133.  Edward  VI.    Henry's  son,  Edward  VI,  was  a  fer- 


1553]  THE   REFORMATION  153 

vent  follower  of  Martin  Luther  and  the  Reformation. 
His  government  inaugurated  an  unfortunate  system 
of  planting  English  colonies  in  Ireland,  which 
generally  meant  that  native  Catholics  were  de-  Protestants 
prived  of  their  possessions  to  make  room  for 
foreign  Protestants.  This  was  the  beginning  of  much 
national  discord,  because  the  English  colonies 
continued  to  be  hostile  settlements,  differing 
in  that  respect  from  the  Norman  invaders,  who  had  soon 
been  transformed  by  the  Irish  spirit,  and  did  not  try  to 
destroy  it. 

Edward  also  initiated  the  movement  which  placed 
Protestant  clergymen  in  all  the  parishes  of  Ireland,  con- 
ferring on  them  the  right  to  levy  tithes,  that  is,  T^e  system 
a  tax  of  one  tenth  of  the  produce  of  the  land,  ofuthes. 
for  their  support.  The  Catholic  priests,  thus  forced  out 
of  their  churches,  nevertheless  continued  courageously  to 
minister  to  the  needs  of  their  flocks,  and  their  fidelity 
never  wavered  in  all  the  subsequent  centuries  of  oppres- 
sion, misery,  and  persecution.  It  is  a  result  of  this  fidel- 
ity that  the  Irish  people  to-day  possess  the  qualities 
of  faith,  purity,  and  spirituality  which  distinguish  them 
among  the  nations  of  the  modern  world.  The  attempt 
to  make  Protestant  converts  by  armed  force  and  the  dis- 
possession of  the  natives  by  colonists  were  the  two  causes 
of  most  of  the  evils  which  afflicted  Ireland  for  many 
generations.  Sir  Anthony  Saint-Leger,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded Lord  Grey  as  lord  lieutenant,  and  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Dublin  were  Edward's  chief  agents  in  this 
work,  but  they  met  with  little  success  beyond  the  circle 
of  government  servants. 

134.  Queen  Mary.  King  Henry's  daughter  Mary 
succeeded  her  brother  Edward  on  the  English  throne. 
Unlike  him,  she  was  a  Catholic,  but  the  few  Protestants 


154  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1553 

who  were  then  in  Ireland  were  left  in  peace,  to  worship 
according  to  their  own  convictions,  and  many  English 
Protestants  sought  refuge  in  Ireland  from  the  conflicts 
in  the  church  which  then  convulsed  the  larger  island. 
During  her  reign  two  new  counties  were  formed:  Queen's 
County  and  King's  County,  in  honor  of  Queen  Mary  and 
her  husband,  Philip,  king  of  Spain.  The  chief  towns  of 
these  two  counties  were  called  after  the  sovereigns  — 
Maryborough  and  Philipstown. 

135.  Queen  Elizabeth  and  the  age  of  persecution. 
The  real  religious  troubles  in  Ireland  began  with  the 
accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  in  1558.  A  parliament 
was  convened  in  Dublin.  The  Act  of  Supremacy  was 
renewed,  and  this  time  all  clergymen  were  forced  to  take 
the  oath  of  supremacy,  or  cease  preaching.  Further- 
more, the  Act  of  Uniformity  was  enforced.  This  act  re- 
quired the  use  of  the  English  Protestant  Prayer-book,  and 
demanded  that  every  man  should  attend  service  accord- 
ing to  the  Protestant  liturgy,  or  pay  a  fine  of  twelve 

pence  (equivalent  to  three  dollars  to-day)  for 
antism         every  failure  to  do   so.     The   result  of  these 

acts  was  that,  in  all  districts  of  Ireland  where 
English  authority  could  be  enforced,  though  these  were 
not  numerous,*  the  Catholic  clergy  were  compelled  to 
cease  preaching  openly.  They  continued,  however,  to 
preach  and  celebrate  divine  service  in  private.  It  was 
not  often  that  fines  were  actually  levied,  and  the  Act  of 
Uniformity  was  not  effectively  in  force  anywhere  out- 
side the  Pale.  In  the  rest  of  Ireland,  the  English  had 
no  power  to  compel  obedience ;  and  although  from  that 
time  until  the  disestablishment  of  the  Protestant  Church 
three  centuries  later  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation 
remained  the  state  religion  of  Ireland,  they  were  never 
in  any  real  sense  the  national  religion. 


1558]  THE    REFORMATION  155 

There  were  other  and  minor  causes  of  trouble,  includ- 
ing the  tyrannous  and  arbitrary  character  of  the  Dublin 
government,  which  aroused  against  it  colonists  Tyranny  of 
and  natives  alike,  so  that  any  invader  would  g^ygrn-'*^ 
have  been  welcome.  The  authorities  never  nient. 
relaxed  their  efforts  to  impose  English  customs  upon 
the  Irish,  and  many  vexatious  laws  were  passed  as  to 
matters  of  speech  and  dress.  The  fashion  in  which 
hair  or  beards  might  be  worn  and  the  cut  of  women's 
skirts  were  decided  by  legislative  decree.  It  is  true 
that  these  laws  never  came  into  effect,  but  their  pre- 
sence on  the  statute-book  and  the  spasmodic  attempts 
made  to  enforce  them  were  a  constant  source  of  exasper- 
ation. 

136.  Rebellion  of    Shane    O'Neill.       Conn    O'Neill, 

whom  Henry  VIII  created  earl  of  Tyrone,  had  two  sons, 

Matthew  and  Shane.    Conn  preferred  the  latter. 

Its  cause, 
and  purposed  to  leave   him  his  title  and  lands. 

Matthew,  who  bore  the  English  title  of  Baron  Dungan- 
non,  claimed  the  succession,  and  was  supported  in  this 
claim  by  the  authorities  at  Dub- 
lin.    The  English,  to   clear  the     ^tffm'^tttmfm  rt^^^ 
way  for  their  favorite,  Matthew,      |/|  | {/Q|lCcJ^ 
sought  to  remove  his  father,  and 

^  ,  .       ,   ,  .  SHANE  O'Neill's  autograph 

for    that    purpose,   enticed    him  to      n  is  written  Misi  O'Neill,  literally 

Dublin,  and  imprisoned  him  Sf '''''*  "^^  ""'  '^^  '""  °^ 
there.     Shane  determined  to  act 

at  once,  and  took  up  arms  in  support  of  what  he  believed 
his  right  to  succeed  his  father.  During  the  years  1551, 
1552,  and  1553,  a  number  of  unsuccessful  attempts  were 
made  to  subdue  the  young  rebel,  and,  as  usual,  the  coun- 
try suffered  severely.  The  Scottish  MacDonnells  of 
Rathlin  Island  were  Shane's  allies,  and  against  them  Sir 
James  Croft,  the  lord  lieutenant,  made  the  first  attack. 


156  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1558 

It  was  an  unlucky  beginning  for  the  government,  for 
MacDonnell  and  his  army  surprised  Croft  as  he  was 
landing  on  Rathlin  Island,  and  cut  off  the  English  forces 
First  to  a  man.     In  the  following  year,  Croft,  associ- 

successes.  ^^^^^  j^-g  forces  with  those  of  Matthew  O'Neill, 
Baron  Dungannon,  made  another  attempt  to  subdue  the 
young  rebel  and  his  allies,  but  with  no  greater  success. 

The    marching     and     counter- 

*  marching  of  the  opposed  forces 

was  rapidly  turning  Ulster  into 
a  desert  ;  Croft  finally  recog- 
nized the  uselessness  of  his 
attempt,  and  nothing  more  was 
done  for  the  next  six  years. 

137.  A  renewal  of  the  strug- 
gle. In  1558,  some  of  Shane 
O'Neill's  adherents  murdered 
Matthew  O'Neill,  and  soon  af- 
ter the  old  earl  died  in  captiv- 
ity. Shane  was  immediately 
elected  earl  according  to  Irish 
custom,  while  the  Dublin  gov- 
ernment recognized  Matthew's 
son  as  his  successor,  as  much 
to  weaken  Shane  as  for  any 
other  reason.  Combinations 
were  formed  against  the  pow- 
erful "rebel"  by  the  govern- 
ment, with  the  hope  of  overthrowing  him,  but  Shane 
was  too  quick  for  his  enemies.  He  managed  to  meet 
and  overcome  them  separately,  before  any  combined 
force  could  be  arrayed  against  him.  In  1561, 
he  defeated  an  army  under  the  new  lord  lieu- 
tenant, the  Earl  of  Sussex,  and  before  long  had  gained 


IRISH   SOLDIER   OF    1 582 

Picture  of  soldier  from  a  charter 
granted  by  Queen  Elizabeth  to 
Dublin  in  1582-3.  The  soldier  is 
no  doubt  one  of  the  "  gallow- 
glasses "  who  were  emploj'-ed  by 
the  queen's  government  in  Ireland. 
He  is  armed  with  the  long  deadly 
battle-axe  of  the  Irish  foot-soldier 


Successful 
in  1561. 


1561]  THE    REFORMATION  157 

control  of  all   Ulster,   including   the  domain  of   his  old 
rivals,  the  O'Donnells,  lords  of  Tyrconnell  or  Donegal. 

At  last  Elizabeth  decided  to  try  conciliatory  measures, 
and  Shane  was  summoned  to  her  court.      He  went  there 
in  December,  1561,  and  was  cordially  received  shane 
by  the  clever  queen,  in  spite  of  a  recommenda-  English* 
tion  from  Sussex  that  the  great  Irishman  should  court, 
be  treated  coldly,  as  befitted  a  rebel.     An  English  his- 
torian describes  his  advance  toward  the  queen,  between 
two  rows  of  admiring  courtiers,  followed  by  his  "gallow- 
glasses,"  ^  with  bare  heads,  long  hair  curling  over  their 
shoulders,  saffron-dyed  tunics,  and  wide  mantles.     Shane 
made  friends  with  Queen  Elizabeth,  promising  to  recog- 
nize  her   authority,  provided  that  she,  on  her  side,  ad- 
mitted his    contested    right    of    succession.     All  would 

1  Gallowglasses  and  Kerns.  There  were  two  classes  of  infantry 
in  the  Irish  armies  during  the  Middle  Ages.  The  light  infantry, 
to  whom  the  name  of  kerns  has  been  given,  were  armed  with  a 
javelin  tied  to  the  wrist  with  a  string,  so  that  it  could  be  pulled 
back,  after  a  throw,  and  used  again  ;  they  also  had  darts,  or  light 
spears  to  be  thrown,  and  daggers  or  knives,  which  were  used  to 
kill  a  wounded  foe.  The  gallowglasses  were  much  more  heavily 
armed.  They  were  protected  by  a  coat  of  mail,  a  breastplate,  and 
an  iron  helmet,  and  their  principal  weapon  was  a  sharp  battle-axe, 
like  those  of  the  ancient  Gauls.  When  going  into  battle,  the 
cavalry  went  first,  the  heavily  armed  gallowglasses  second,  and  the 
kerns  third,  the  last  being  skirmishers,  who  hung  on  the  skirts  of  a 
retreating  army,  or  attacked  it  on  the  march,  doing  more  damage  in 
this  kind  of  irregular  fighting  than  in  a  pitched  battle.  The  names 
"  gallowglass  "  and  "  kern,"  which  are  taken  from  the  Gaelic,  and  are 
used  in  the  Irish  Annals,  have  been  made  familiar  by  Shakespeare's 
use  of  them  in  Macbeth  :  — 

"  The  merciless  Macdonwald 
(Worthy  to  be  a  rebel ;  for,  to  that, 
The  multiplying  villanies  of  nature 
Do  swarm  upon  him)  from  the  western  isles 
Of  kerns  and  gallowglasses  is  supplied.'' 


158  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1562 

have  gone  well  if  certain  persons  in  authority  had  not 
thought  they  could  gain  better  terms  from  the  powerful 
Irishman.  They  forced  him  to  sign  certain  very  severe 
conditions,  which,  however,  he  did  not  consider  himself 
obliged  to  keep.  Shane  returned  to  Ireland,  and  once 
more  took  up  arms  in  defence  of  his  full  rights.  Elizabeth 
His  claim  ordered  Sussex  to  conciliate  Shane  by  substan- 
recognized.  ^j^j  concessions,  and  an  agreement  was  finally 
signed  at  his  house  at  Benburb  in  Tyrone,  in  which  the 
queen  recognized  Shane's  headship  of  the  clan  of  O'Neill, 
by  admitting  his  right  to  bear  the  title,  "The  O'Neill." 

138.  Shane's  war  with  the  MacDonnells.  Now  se- 
curely established  in  his  rights,  Shane  made  war  on  the 
MacDonnells  and  other  Scottish  settlers,  who  had  come 
in  great  numbers  to  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  who  were 
much  feared  and  disliked  by  the  Dublin  government. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  these  settlers  were  de- 
scended largely  from  the  old  Irish  colonists  who  founded 
Scottish  Dalriada,  as  recorded  in  an  earlier  part  of  the 
nation's  story.  When  Shane  was  forced  to  sign  the  pro- 
mises already  spoken  of,  an  agreement  to  expel  the  Scot- 
tish settlers  was  among  the  conditions,  but  it  is  probable 
that  the  desire  to  assert  his  authority  without  rivals  really 
determined  him  to  make  war  on  them.  He  was  at  first 
Shane's  very  successful,  and  won  several  battles,  in 
victories.      which  many  of  the  Scottish  settlers  were  killed. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  authorities  had 
demanded  the  expulsion  of  the  MacDonnells  as  part  of 
the  price  of  Shane's  freedom,  they  were  far  from  pleased 
to  see  him  so  completely  successful,  as  it  meant  an  in- 
crease of  his  power,  which  they  already  felt  to  be  formid- 
able. 

139.  End  of  the  rebellion.  Shane's  day  of  doom  was 
approaching.     He  met  with  a  final  defeat  in  the  follow- 


1567]  THE   REFORMATION  1 59 

ing  year,  1567,  at  the  hands  of  Hugh  O'Donnell.     The 
fio^ht  took  place  on  the  Donegal  side   of   the  „^     , 

^  ^  ^  Shane  sde- 

Swilly,  and  Shane  was  barely  able  to  retreat   feat  and 

across  a  ford  of  the  river  with  a  few  followers. 
Thoroughly  disheartened,  he  resolved  to  throw  himself 
on  the  mercy  of  his  former  enemies,  the  Scottish  settlers. 
He  sought  their  camp  at  Cushendun,  with  only  fifty  fol- 
lowers. The  Scottish  leaders  received  him  with  a  show 
of  cordiality,  but  with  treacherous  designs  in  their  hearts. 
At  a  given  signal  a  pretended  quarrel  was  begun,  and, 
in  the  struggle  and  uproar,  Shane  was  attacked,  and  he 
and  all  his  men  were  killed.  Shane's  reputation  as  a  war- 
rior stands  high,  in  spite  of  the  ruin  and  destruction 
which  resulted  from  his  struggle.  He  also  left  a  name 
for  fair  and  just  dealing,  tempered,  however,  rather  with 
severity  than  mercy. 

A  further  step  in  the  English  organization  of  Ireland 
was  taken  at  this  time.  In  1565,  the  lord  lieutenant 
formed  a  new  county  out  of  Annaly,  which  he  called 
Longford.  He  also  divided  Connaught  into  the  follow? 
ing  counties  :  Galway,  Sligo,  Mayo,  Roscommon,  Leitrim, 
and  Clare,  the  last  of  which  in  later  years  became  a  part 
of  Munster. 

140.  The  Second  Geraldine  League.     Religious  dif- 
ferences had  been  growing  in  importance   while  these 
events  were  taking  place.     The  English  were  trying  to 
force  the  Protestant  doctrines  and  ritual  upon  the  Irish. 
Some  of  the  Anglo-Irish  nobles  sided  with  the  old  native 
families,   as,   for  instance,  the  Munster  Geraldines,  the 
Earl  of  Desmond  and  his  adherents.      Others  took  the* 
side  of  the  Dublin  government,  like  the  Earl   The 
of  Ormond  and  his  family,  the  Butlers.     The  ^ersifJhe 
result  of  the  civil  strife  thus  begun  was  further  Butlers, 
devastation  of  the   southern  part  of  Ireland,  the  lesser 


l6o  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1567 

chiefs  following  the  example  of  the  greater,  in  this  reli- 
gious and  political  war.  Sir  Henry  Sydney,  at  this  time 
lord  lieutenant,  and  one  of  the  harshest  and  most  ruth- 
less of  England's  representatives  in  Ireland,  led  an  expedi- 
tion through  Munster,  hanging,  burning,  and  devastating 
with  pitiless  savagery.  The  Earl  of  Desmond,  a  Catho- 
lic, and  his  brother  John,  who  was  well  disposed  toward 
the  Dublin  government,  were  seized,  carried  to  London, 
and  imprisoned  in  the  Tower  for  six  years.  The  capture 
of  the  latter  was  due  to  the  Earl  of  Ormond,  however,  and 
not  to  Sydney.  These  two  unwarranted,  arrests,  together 
with  the  reports  which  circulated  concerning  further  in- 
tended ''colonization  "  by  the  Dublin  government,  as  well 
Causes  of  as  attempts  to  force  the  doctrines  of  the  Ref or- 
the trouble,  nation  on  the  Catholics  of  Dublin,  aroused  both 
native  and  Anglo-Irish  chiefs  to  unite  in  self-defence  in 
a  new  coalition  called  the  Second  Geraldine  League. 

141.  The  Geraldine  rebellion.  James  FitzMaurice 
Fitzgerald,  a  cousin  of  the  Earl  of  Desmond,  was  the 
.  moving  spirit  of  the  rebellion  against  the  Eng- 

Fitz-  lish  authorities  which  broke  out  in  1 569.     Syd- 

Maurce.  ^^^^  greatly  alarmed,  headed  an  army  and 
marched  south,  on  a  second  expedition  of  massacre,  and, 
by  his  awful  severity,  succeeded  in  terrifying  some  of 
the  chiefs  into  submission.  FitzMaurice  fought  long, 
but  in  1573  he  was  forced  to  discontinue  the  struggle, 
and  the  rebellion  was  believed  to  be  ended.  The  Earl 
of  Desmond  and  his  brother,  who  were  in  captivity  in 
the  Tower,  were  set  at  liberty,  as  it  was  thought  that  all 
danger  of  resistance  was  at  an  end. 

pitz-  FitzMaurice,  however,  had  not  given  up  the 

McuJls\id  cause  as  lost.  He  fled  to  France,  and  after- 
iTom  Spain,  wards  to  Spain,  whence  he  returned  six  years 
later  to  Ireland.     This  was  in  the  year  1579,  and  Fitz- 


1580]  THE   REFORMATION  161 

Maurice  brought  with  him  three  ships  and  seventy  or 
eighty  Spanish  soldiers  to  support  his  cause. 

As  soon  as  FitzMaurice  had  landed  in  Kerry  with  his 
Spanish  allies,  he  was  joined  by  John  and  James  Fitz- 
gerald, brothers  of  the  Earl  of  Desmond.  An  English 
force,  sent  by  the  government  to  oppose  the  rebels,  was 
defeated  by  John  Fitzgerald.  Nevertheless,  the  small 
body  of  Spaniards  was  soon  scattered,  FitzMaurice  was 
killed,  and  John  Fitzgerald  was  left  in  command  of  the 
Munster  rebels. 

The  Earl  of  Desmond,  so  far,  had  taken  no  part  in  the 
insurrection,  but  now,  goaded  by  the  systematic  harsh- 
ness of  the  government,  he  joined  the  rebellion.  He 
was  a  very  powerful  ally,  and  his  loss  was  greatly  felt  by 
Queen  Elizabeth.  The  Earl  of  Ormond,  head  of  the 
Butler  family,  remained  on  the  side  of  the  English.  The 
opposing  forces  now  began  a  series  of  maraud-  Renewed 
ins^   expeditions,  over   the  whole   of  Munster  struggle  in 

.  .  Munster. 

from   Limerick  to   Kerry,  after  the  manner  of 

the  early  tribal  raids.  They  seem,  however,  to  have 
avoided  any  attempt  to  meet  in  battle.  Their  tactics 
differed  somewhat.  The  soldiers  of  the  Geraldine 
League,  although  they  laid  waste  the  country  whenever 
and  wherever  they  could,  did  not  kill  the  inhabitants. 
The  EngUsh,  on  the  contrary,  not  only  spread  devasta- 
tion through  the  towns,  so  that  not  a  house  was  left  hab- 
itable, but  also  killed  the  inhabitants.  The  English  were 
gradually  gaining  the  advantage.  John  and  James  Fitz- 
gerald were  killed,  the  latter  being  executed,  while  the 
former  fell  fighting. 

Leinster  also  revolted  under  James  Eustace,  Viscount 
Baltinglass.     This    new   uprising   was    due   to  uprising  in 
the  discontent  felt  by  the  people  of  the  Pale,   Leinster. 
partly  on  account  of  a  tax  illegally  levied  by  Sydney 


l62  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1580 

two  years  before,  without  going  through  the  form  of 
passing  a  law  through  the  Irish  ParUament ;  and  partly 
owing  to  measures  taken  to  forward  the  cause  of  the 
Reformation  within  the  Pale.  Lord  Grey  of  Wilton 
was  directed  to  put  down  this  rebellion,  but,  owing  to 
Lord  Grey  his  rashness,  his  army  was  almost  annihilated, 
defeated.  j^g  ^ad  landed  at  Dublin,  and  thence  led  his 
army  south  into  Wicklow,  to  attack  Baltinglass.  He  was 
caught  by  the  allies  in  a  narrow  mountain  pass,  and  com- 
pletely beaten. 

In  October,  1 580,  a  small  force  of  about  seven  hundred 
Spaniards  and  Italians  arrived  in  Ireland,  to  help  in  the 

contest  against  the  English.  Lord  Grey,  furi- 
garrison       ous  at  his  former  defeat,  bombarded  Fort  Dun- 

anore,  where  the  Irish  were  intrenched,  until  it 
surrendered,  when  he  massacred  the  whole  garrison,  an 
act  which  excited  indignation  even  throughout  England. 
He  continued  this  barbarous  campaign  through  the  year 
1 58 1,  until  the  queen,  realizing  the  lasting  harm  which 
was  being  worked  by  these  savage  methods,  caused  his 
recall  in  1582.  Affairs  in  the  Geraldine  camp  had  been 
End  of  the  growing  worse  and  worse.  The  army  was  too 
rebeUion.  weak  to  accomplish  anything,  and  most  of  its 
leaders  had  been  killed  or  captured.  The  great  Earl  of 
Desmond,  head  of  the  Geraldine  family,  was  roaming  the 
woods  as  an  outlaw,  with  a  price  on  his  head.  He  was 
finally  killed  in  1583. 

SUMMARY 

In  1534,  by  the  Act  of  Supremacy,  Henry  VIII  had  him- 
self proclaimed  Supreme  Head  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  his 
own  dominions,  and  the  English  Church  was  declared  inde- 
pendent of  the  Pope.  By  an  act  passed  in  Ireland  in  1536, 
Henry  VIII  was  further  declared  Supreme  Head  of  the  Irish 


1583]  THE    REFORMATION  163 

Church;  as  a  result,  the  monasteries,  which  refused  to  recog- 
nize his  authority,  were  suppressed.  The  Irish  Parliament 
of  1541  gave  him  the  title  of  "King  of  Ireland." 

Edward  VI  tried  to  enforce  the  doctrines  of  the  Reforma- 
tion ;  also  inflicting  upon  the  Irish  the  abuses  of  colonization 
and  the  tithe  system.  There  was  a  short  respite  during  Queen 
Mary's  reign,  followed  by  a  period  of  persecution  under 
Elizabeth,  1 558-1603,  when  the  teachings  of  the  Reformation 
were  enforced  by  stricter  measures. 

The  difference  between  English  and  Irish  law  in  the  matter 
of  succession  to  estates  was  the  cause  of  the  rebellion  of 
Shane  O'Neill,  which  broke  out  in  r55i  and  lasted  until  his 
death  in  1566.  The  continued  efforts  to  impose  the  Protest- 
ant creed,  and  projects  of  Protestant  colonization,  brought 
about  the  formation  of  the  Second  Geraldine  League  in  1567, 
which  was  followed  by  the  Geraldine  rebellion  in  1569-82'. 
In  this  struggle,  the  Butlers  fought  on  the  side  of  the  English, 
while  the  Geraldines  secured  aid  from  Spain.  Munster  and 
Leinster  were  devastated. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

CLOSE    OF    THE    TUDOR   PERIOD 

1583-1603 

English  Sovereign:  Queen  Elizabeth,  1558-1603 

142.  Lord-lieutenancy  of  Sir  John  Perrott,  1584- 
1588.  After  the  suppression  of  the  Geraldine  rebeUion, 
Queen  EHzabeth  appointed  a  new  lord  lieutenant,  Sir 
John  Perrott,  a  man  of  great  abihty,  who  had  the  interests 
of  Ireland  at  heart.  His  first  act  was  to  proclaim  a  gen- 
eral amnesty  to  all  those  who  returned  to  their  allegiance 
to  the  English  government.  He  even  sent  the  Earl  of 
Desmond's  son  to  England  to  be  educated.  His  leading 
idea  was  that  EngHsh  law  should  be  put  in  force  all  over 
Ireland  to  the  exclusion  of  the  traditional  Brehon  law  ; 
and  he  won  over  most  of  the  native  chieftains  to  his  view. 

He  further  planned  to  maintain  a  lare^e  stand- 
His  policy.      .  1      ,  •  1  1  1  , 

ing  army,  regularly  paid;  and  to  strengthen  the 

English  position  by  building  forts,  garrisoning  towns,  and 
repairing  bridges.  These  plans  were,  however,  defeated 
by  the  shortsightedness  of  the  English  queen,  who  habit- 
ually sent  only  a  half  or  a  quarter  of  the  money  that  was 
absolutely  necessary. 

In  carrying  out  his  plan  for  introducing  English  law. 
Sir  John  Perrott  incurred  much  opposition  among  the 
native  tribesmen,  because  of  the  ignorance  and  tactless- 
ness of  his  agents.  He  made  a  very  serious  mistake 
when,  in  1587,  he  treacherously  captured  Hugh  Roe,  the 


1587]  CLOSE    OF   THE   TUDOR    PERIOD  165 

son  of  O'Donnell,  chief  of  Tyrconnell,  and  imprisoned 
him  in  Dublin  Castle  along  with  the  two  sons  capture  oi 
of  Shane  O'Neill,  because  O'Donnell  had  re-  Hugh  Roe. 
fused  to  allow  the  English  law-agents  and  sheriffs  to  enter 
his  territory.  After  several  unsuccessful  attempts,  the 
boys  escaped  and  made  their  way  back  to  Ulster.  This 
act  of  Perrott  aroused  the  lasting  hatred  of  the  O'Don- 
nells,  who  had  hitherto  been  well  disposed  toward  him. 
As  a  consequence,  they  joined  the  next  great  attack  on 
the  Dublin  government.  The  position  of  the  English 
forces  in  Ireland  was  the  more  Critical,  as  the  great 
Spanish  Armada  was  already  being  prepared  by  Philip 
II  of  Spain  to  attack  the  dominions  of  his  sister-in-law, 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

In    1584,   Sir  John    Perrott    divided  the  province  of 
Ulster  into  seven  counties,  Armagh,  Monaghan,  Tyrone, 
Coleraine  (which  was  later  changed  to  Derry), 
Donegal,   Fermanagh,   and   Cavan.     The  two  counties 
counties  of  Antrim  and  Down  in  Ulster  had   "^"^^®  * 
been  formed  some  years  before.     These  counties,   to- 
gether with  those  we  have  previously  named,  and  Wick- 
low,  which  was  separated  from  Dublin  a  little  later,  in 
1605,  complete  the  number  which  exist  to-day,  thirty- 
two  in  all. 

143.  Hugh  O'Neill.  The  Dublin  government  had 
supported  Matthew  O'Neill,  Baron  Dungannon,  against 
Shane  O'Neill,  thus  causing  the  latter  to  rise  in  arms  in 
defence  of  his  cause.  Matthew  left  a  son,  Hugh,  who  be- 
gan his  career  in  the  army  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  j^jy 
and,  through  her  favor,  in  1587,  obtained  the  career. 
earldom  and  estates  of  Tyrone,  which  had  been  confis- 
cated on  the  death  of  Shane.  Hugh  had  to  agree  to  one 
condition  :  that  he  would  surrender  a  district  on  the 
bank  of  the  northern  Blackwater  for  an  English  fort. 


66 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1594 


This  fort,  called  Portmore,  was  built  to  command  the 
ford  across  the  river,  which  was  the  usual  road  from 
Armagh  to  Tyrone. 

Hugh  O'Neill  now  tried  to  make  friends  with  both 
Duplicity  sides.  He  married  a  sister  of  Sir  Henry  Bage- 
of  O'Neill,  nal,  military  commander  of  Ireland,  a  warm 
partisan  of  the  English  government.     It  was  noticed,  at 

the  same  time,  that 
he  was  continually 
drilling  his  men,  and 
that  he  had  large 
quantities  of  lead 
brought  to  his  castle, 
ostensibly  to  repair 
the  roof,  but  really  to 
be  cast  into  bullets. 
Meanwhile  he  en- 
tered into  close  rela- 
tions with  Hugh  Roe 
O'Donnell,  whose  es- 
cape from  Dublin  Cas- 
tle he  had  assisted ; 
and  while  not  openly 
helping  Maguire,  then 
in  arms  against  the  Dublin  government,  he  refrained 
from  opposing  him.  By  the  end  of  1594,  though  still 
protesting  loyalty  to  Elizabeth,  he  was  carrying  on  a 
correspondence  with  Philip  of  Spain. 

144.  Beginning  of  Hugh  O'Neill's'  rebellion,  1595. 
Early  in  the  following  year,  an  army  of  about  three 
thousand  men  arrived  in  Ireland  under  Sir  John  Norris. 
Portmore  O'Neill  decided  to  take  action  without  further 
taken.  delay,  and  instructed  his  brother  to  seize  Port- 

more,  while  he  himself  attacked  the  English  at  Cavan. 


HUGH    O  NF.ILL.  F.ART.    OF    TYRONI': 


1597] 


CLOSE    OF   THE   TUDOR   PERIOD 


:67 


CAPTURE    OF     THE     FORT     OF    THE     BLACKVVATER     FROM     O'NEILL     BY    LORD 

BOROUGH  IN   1597 

From  a  nearly  contemporary  picture.     The  English  troops  approaching  are  seen  crossing 

the  ford  in  front 

From  Cavan  he  marched  to  Monaghan,  and  besieged  the 
English  garrison  there.  In  the  summer  of  1595,  the 
English  made  repeated  attempts  to  recover  Fort  Port- 
more,  but  they  were  defeated  at  every  turn  by  O'Neill 
and  O'Donnell. 

Whenever  the  English  representatives  met  him  in  con- 
ference, Hugh  O'Neill  demanded  absolute  freedom  in 
religion  for  the  Catholics  as  one  of  the  conditions  on 
which  he  was  willing  to  make  peace.     Meanwhile  Queen 
Elizabeth,   finding   that   things   in   Ireland   were    going 
from  bad  to  worse,  resorted  to  the  usual  ex-  Appoint- 
pedient   of  a  Change  of  rulers.     The  new  lord  ^/^^Jj^ 
lieutenant.    Lord    Borough,  arrived  in  Ireland  lieutenant, 
in   1597.     He  was  met  by  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Kildare, 
and  other  lords  of  the  Pale,  and  immediately  planned  a 
threefold  attack  against  Ulster  and  the  rebels.    He  him- 


l68  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1597 

self  led  one  division  against  O'Neill  at  Portmore,  and 
sent  another  under  Sir  Conyers  Clifford  against  O'Don- 
nell,  while  a  third  was  to  go  to  Ballyshannon,  near  the 
south  border  of  Donegal,  to  unite  with  the  two  other 
armies.  The  junction  was  never  formed,  as  the  last 
division  was  intercepted  and  annihilated  by  Captain 
Tyrrell  at  Tyrrell's  Pass ;  the  second  division  met  with 
scarcely  better  success,  as  it  was  forced  to  retreat  into 
Connaught,  after  losing  all  its  stores  and  ammunition  ; 
Borough  was  defeated  by  O'Neill,  and  lost  his  life  at 
Battle  oJ  ^^^  battle  of  Drumflugh  on  the  Blackwater, 
Drumiiugii.  but  not  before  he  had  retaken  Portmore  and 

1597 

garrisoned  it  with  English  soldiers  under  Cap- 
tain Williams,  a  thoroughly  capable  commander. 

145.  Battle  of  the  Yellow  Ford,  August  14,  1598. 
Portmore  was  the  strongest  fortress  in  the  north,  and 
was  eagerly  sought  by  both  sides.  Hugh  O'Neill  now 
made  a  series  of  attempts  to  take  it  by  assault,  but,  fail- 
ing, decided  to  starve  out  the  garrison.  After  much 
indecision,  the  Dublin  Council  sent  Bagenal,  O'Neill's 
brother-in-law  and  old  enemy,  with  a  relief  force  of  cav- 
alry and  infantry,  numbering  four  or  five  thousand  men. 
This  army  reached  Armagh,  five  miles  south  of  Portmore. 
The  intervening  country  was  marshy,  partly  wooded,  and 
cut  by  a  small  stream,  the  Callan.  On  this  stream,  at  a 
place  called  the  Yellow  Ford,  two  miles  north  of  Ar- 
magh, O'Neill    had  stationed    his  army  to  op- 

O'NeiU's  ^  , 

superior  pose  Bagenal's  advance.  O'Neill  had  a  slight 
postion.  advantage  in  numbers,  and  of  course  had  cho- 
sen his  own  position.  Bagenal's  men  were  better  drilled, 
and  were  also  supplied  with  armor.  In  O'Neill's  army 
were  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell,  MacDonnell  of  the  Glens  of 
Antrim,  Maguire,  and  other  valiant  chiefs.  O'Neill  had 
dug  trenches  and  thrown  up  earthworks,  so  that  before 


1598]  CLOSE   OF   THE   TUDOR    PERIOD  169 

Bagenal  could  reach  him  he  had  to  cross  a  trench  four  feet 
wide  and  five  feet  deep,  with  a  thick  hedge  of  thorns  on 
the  edge. 

Bagenal  divided  his  army  into  three  sections,  and  took 
command  of  the  centre.  He  posted  his  cavalry  on  both 
wings,  and  ordered  the  first  division  to  proceed  six  hun- 


9  C  8  D  7  E 


0      10     20    30     40     SO 


9        Longitude  C     8        West  from  D    7       Qrwnwich  E     6      F 


PLACES    MENTIONED     IN     IRISH     HISTORY    DURING    THE 
WARS    AFTER    1582 


dred  yards  in  advance  of  the  central  division.  O'Neill 
had  sent  out  a  body  of  skirmishers  to  harass  the  enemy, 
but  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  Bagenal's  first  division  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing  the  intrenchments,  and  managed  to 


I/O  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1598 

re-form  on  the  other  side.  Unfortunately  for  them,  the 
second  division  was  too  far  behind,  so  that  the  first  was 
cut  to  pieces  before  the  second  could  come  to  its  aid. 
Bagenal  himself  was  shot  while  exposing  himself  in  an 
attempt  to  reconnoitre.  The  second  division  was  in  like 
manner  almost  annihilated  before  the  arrival  of  the  third. 
Meanwhile,  O'Neill  had  sent  O'Donnell  and  his  Donegal 
men  to  attack  the  English  in  the  rear.     To  add  to  the 

mishaps  of  the  latter,  their  reserve  of  powder 
army  was  accidentally  exploded.     The  rout  of  Bage- 

nal's  forces  was  now  complete.  The  few  sur- 
vivors of  his  army  fled  back  to  Armagh,  with  the  Irish 
in  pursuit.  The  English  lost  their  general,  most  of  their 
officers,  and  two  thousand  men,  besides  a  large  quantity 
of  provisions  and  ammunition  destined  for  Portmore, 
while  the  losses  of  the  Irish  were  trifling. 

146.  The  rebellion  at  its  height.  Almost  immediately 
after  the  battle,  Armagh  surrendered.  Williams  at  Port- 
more  also  capitulated,  and  was  allowed  to  withdraw  to 
Dundalk.  O'Neill  was  hailed  as  the  deliverer  of  his 
country  by  the  Irish  chiefs,  who  were  all  eager  to  take 
up  arms  and  join  him.  In  Ulster  and  Connaught  the 
insurrection  became  general.  In  Leinster  it  was  headed 
by  O' Moore,  who  began  by  retaking  his  forfeited  terri- 
tory of  Leix,  and  then  marching  into  Munster,  where  he 
was  joined  by  the  Geraldines.  Sir  Thomas  Norris,  the 
president  of  Munster,  was  compelled  to  retire  to  Cork. 
The  English  settlers  were  so  few  that  they  were  unable 
to  make  an  effectual  stand,  and  all  that  they  had  gained 
ten  years  before,  when  they  crushed  the  Geraldine  rebel- 
lion, was  lost  in  a  few  weeks. 

When  the  news  of  these  events  reached  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, she  laid  the  blame  on  the  Dublin  Council,  and  was 
convinced  of  its  entire  helplessness.     She  decided  that 


1599]  CLOSE   OF   THE   TUDOR   PERIOD  I/I 

her  cause  in  Ireland  required  the  presence  of  a  large 

army  and  an  experienced  general,  and,  in  1599, 

sent  Robert  Devereux,  the  earl  of  Essex,  with  Essex 

an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men,  under  orders 

to  march  at  once  against  O'Neill,  and  to  garrison  the 

English  forts  at  Lough  Foyle  and  Ballyshannon. 

Essex,  however,  failed  to  carry  out  any  of  these  com- 
mands.    On  the  contrary,  he  divided  his  army,  scattering 
his  men  about  in  unimportant  and  distant  posts. 
Then,  influenced  by  the  members  of  the  Dub-  scatters 

^^      r^  -1  r       1-  r  *.     •       his  forces. 

Im  Council,  many  of  whom  owned  property  m 
Munster,  he  marched  to  the  southern  province  with  a 
force  of  seven  thousand  men  against  the  Munster  Geral- 
dines  and  their  allies.     This  undertaking  was 
a  miserable  failure,  and,  after  two  months,  he 
had  accomplished  nothing  beyond   the  capture  of  one 
insignificant  castle.    He  then  returned  to  Dublin,  having 
lost  a  large  part  of  his  army. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  west  Sir  Conyers  Clifford  was 
severely  defeated  and  killed  by  O'Donnell  in  the  battle 
of  "The  Yellow  Pass,"  at  Ballaghboy. 

Essex  had  lost  his  entire  army  within  a  few  months, 
and  was  compelled  to  ask  the  indignant  queen  for  rein- 
forcements. She  sent  him  two  thousand  soldiers,  with 
renewed  orders  to  proceed  immediately  against  O'Neill, 
which  he  now  did.  It  was  August,  1599.  O'Neill  was 
encamped  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  called  the  Lagan, 
which  flows  across  the  plain  of  Louth ;  he  was  so  well 
intrenched  that  Essex  at  once  saw  that  an  attack  would 
be  useless.     A  truce  was  arranged  and  Essex   „  , 

^  Return  and 

returned  to  England,  where  he  was  executed   execution 
shortly  after.     Negotiations  continued;  but  the 
determination  of  O'Neill  to  secure  religious  liberty  for 
the  Catholics  was  a  perpetual  stumbling-block. 


172  IRELAND'S   STORY  [1600 

147.  Southern  provinces  devastated.  Thus  for  six 
years,  up  to  the  year  1600,  the  Irish  cause  had  every- 
where prospered,  and  O'Neill  had  gained  an  unbroken 
„    „  ^        series  of  victories,  but  now  the  tide  of  his  for- 

Englisn 

leaders.  times  began  to  ebb.  Lord  Mount  joy  was  lord 
lieutenant,  the  Earl  of  Ormond  was  in  command  of  the 
army,  and  Sir  George  Carew  was  president  of  Munster. 
Carew  was  deeply  hostile  toward  the  Irish,  chiefly  be- 
cause of  the  death  of  his  brother  at  their  hands  in  the 
Geraldine  rebellion.  He  and  Mount] oy  set  to  work  to 
defeat  O'Neill  by  a  plan  as  simple  as  it  was  cruel.    They 

proceeded  to  turn  the  three  provinces  of  Ul- 
devastated  ster,  Leinster,  and  Munster  into  a  desert.  The 
by  Carew.  ^^^^^  ^^  ^-^^  southern  province  came  first.  Ca- 
rew destroyed  the  castles,  slaughtered  the  cattle,  and 
burned  the  corn  in  the  fields,  and  thus  produced  a  fam- 
ine. O' Moore  was  reduced  to  nominal  submission,  and 
the  queen  allowed  Carew  to  extend  pardon  to  the  Mun- 
ster rebels. 

The  two  principal  Irish  leaders,  Hugh  O'Neill  and 
Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell,  could  not  help  Munster,  because 
Mount]  oy  had  kept  them  in  the  north  by  making  a  move 
against  Tyrone.  This  pretended  attack  was  designed 
to  give  Sir  Henry  Docwra,  who  arrived  in  May,  1600, 
with  large  supplies  of  soldiers,  food,  and  ammunition,  an 

opportunity  to  plant  along  the  Foyle  the  forts 
EngUsii  which  Essex  had  failed  to  build  :  Culmore,  at 
*°^*'  the  mouth  of  the  Foyle,  and  Derry  and  Dunna- 

long,  farther  up  the  river.  These  forts  greatly  strength- 
ened the  position  of  the  English. 

The  destruction  that  had  been  wrought  by  Carew  in 
Munster  was  now  repeated  by  Mount]  oy  in  Leinster. 
O' Moore,  the  chief  of  Leix,  had,  during  the  early  part 
of  the  rebellion,  regained  much  of  the  authority  formerly 


i6oi]  CLOSE    OF    THE    TUDOR    PERIOD  173 

wielded  by  the  native  kings,  and  Leinster  itself  was  in  a 
prosperous  condition,  owing  to  a  succession  of  Mountjoy 
good  harvests.  Within  a  few  weeks,  Mountjoy  in  Leinster. 
and  his  soldiers  changed  the  whole  of  this  fair  province 
into  a  region  of  desolation  and  famine,  so  that  by  the 
middle  of  1601  the  rebellion  in  the  south  was  completely 
crushed  by  the  destruction  of  all  means  of  subsistence 
for  the  native  armies. 

148.  Help  from  Spain.  After  devastating  the  south, 
Mountjoy  had  marched  north  and  treated  Ulster  in  a 
similar  manner.  O'Neill  and  O'Donnell  were  still  fight- 
ing, but  they  were  now  on  the  defensive,  and  were  be- 
ginning to  lose  hope.  In  the  autumn,  news  came  that 
the  long  desired  and  long  expected  help  from  Spain  had 
at  length  arrived.  It  will  be  remembered  that  England 
and  Spain  had  been  at  war  during  the  whole  of  this 
period.  On  September  23,  General  Don  Juan 
del  Aguila  landed  at  Kinsale  with  about  four  lands  at 
thousand  Spaniards,  and  sent  word  to  the  Irish  ^^^^^®' 
leaders  to  effect  a  junction  with  him.  O'Neill  and 
O'Donnell  immediately  set  out  to  meet  him,  the  latter  in 
the  lead.  The  English  generals,  however,  had  learned 
of  Aguila's  arrival,  and  marched  their  forces  to  a  point  a 
short  distance  north  of  Kinsale,  where  they  encamped 
with  about  twelve  thousand  men. 

Carew  heard  of  the  approach  of  O'Donnell,  and  ad- 
vanced to  intercept  him.  When  the  latter  reached  Holy- 
cross  in  the  centre  of  Tipperary,  he  found  that  Carew 
was  waiting  for  him  a  few  miles  to  the  south,  joined  by 
at  Cashel.  On  his  left  hand  were  the  settle-  ^^^e  Irish, 
ments  of  the  Pale,  on  his  right  a  difficult  mountainous 
country,  extending  to  the  west  coast.  He  saw  no  alter- 
native but  to  cross  these  mountains,  and  Carew  himself 
bore  testimony  to  the  skill  with  which  O'Donnell's  army. 


174  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1601 

though  encumbered  with  baggage  and  cattle,  made  the 
passage  through  the  defiles  and  ravines.  Toward  the 
end  of  December,  O'Neill  rejoined  O'Donnell. 

Previous  to  this  time,  Aguila  and  his  Spaniards  were 
besieged  in  Kinsale  by  Mount] oy.  The  coming  of 
O'Donnell  and  O'Neill  from  the  north  turned  the  scale, 
Battle  of  and  Mountjoy  in  his  turn  was  hemmed  in. 
Kinsale.  Famine,  sickness,  and  cold  afflicted  both  armies 
alike.  O'Neill  was  inclined  to  wait  until  the  English 
army  had  been  weakened  by  sickness  and  hunger,  before 
making  an  attack  ;  but  in  a  council  of  war  it  was  decided 
that  the  English  should  be  attacked  on  the  night  of  Jan- 
uary 3,  1602.  Unhappily  for  the  Irish,  their  plan  became 
known,  and  Mount  joy's  soldiers  were  drawn  up,  ready 
to  receive  them.  It  was  raining,  and  very  dark,  and 
O'Neill's  guides  lost  their  way.  About  dawn,  the  Irish 
suddenly  found  themselves  close  to  the  English  lines. 
O'Neill  hurriedly  retreated,  for  his  men  were  worn  out, 
and  not  at  all  fit  to  attack  fresh  troops.  Mountjoy  took 
advantage  of  this  circumstance,  and  ordered  a  cavalry 
charge,  spreading  confusion  through  the  ranks  of  the 
Irish.  O'Neill  tried  again  and  again  to  rally  his  troops, 
,     but  with  small  success.     The  division  led  by 

Causes  of  -^ 

Irish  O'Donnell  fled  without  striking  a  blow,  while 

defeat.  Aguila  failed  to  attack  the  English  on  the 
other  side  at  the  critical  moment. 

Aguila  surrendered  Kinsale  shortly  after  this,  although 
help  was  on  the  way  to  him,  both  from  Spain  and  from 
O'Neill,  who  had  rallied  his  army.     The  Spanish  gen- 
eral had    failed   in   everythins^    that   had   been 

Aguila  y  o 

returns  to  expected  of  him,  and  now,  after  having  been  a 
^^**"*  main  cause  of  the  defeat  at  Kinsale,  he  sud- 
denly sailed  away  to  Spain.  King  Philip  was  so  enraged 
that  he  threw  him  into  prison,  where  he  died. 


i6o2] 


CLOSE   OF    THE    TUDOR    PERIOD 


175 


After  the  battle  of  Kinsale,  the  Irish  chiefs  held  a 
council,  at  which  it  was  decided  that  O'Don-* 

O'Donnell 

nell  should  go  to  Spain  to  seek  further  help,    goes  to 

He  left  his  brother  Rory  in  command  of  the  ^^^"^" 

Tyrconnell  soldiers,  and  took  ship  for  Spain,  where  he 

was  cordially  received  by  the  kins:.     He  was 

put  off  with  empty  promises,  and,  before  the 

king  had  decided  on  anything  effective,  O'Donnell  fell 


THE   SIEGE    OF    DUNBOY 

From  a  cut  in  the  Pacata  Hibernia,  published  in  1633,  giving  a 

nearly  contemporary  view  of  the  castle 

sick  and  died,  September  lo,  1602,  sad  at  heart  from  the 
news  of  fresh  defeats. 

149.  The  loss  of  Dunboy.  One  of  these  defeats  was 
the  surrender  of  Dunboy  Castle.  After  Aguila  had 
decided  to  retreat,  he  promised  to  give  up  other  strong 
positions  to  the  English,  Baltimore,  Castlehaven,  and 
Dunboy,  three  fortresses  along  the  southwest  coast  of 


176  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1602 

Cork.  Dunboy  was  built  on  a  rocky  peninsula  jutting 
into  Bantry  Bay,  and  belonged  to  Donall  O'Sullivan, 
chief  of  Bear  and  Bantry.  This  castle  was  thought  by 
both  parties  to  be  impregnable.  It  was  garrisoned  by  a 
hundred  and  fifty  Irishmen  under  MacGeoghegan,  and 
O'Sullivan  decided  to  hold  it,  in  spite  of  Aguila's  promise 
that  it  should  be  surrendered.  In  the  early  part  of  June, 
1602,  Carew  appeared  before  Dunboy  with  several  ships 
and  an  army  of  four  thousand  men.  Never  was  doomed 
Cruelty  of  castle  more  valiantly  defended.  When  all  hope 
Carew.  ^y^g  gone  and  the  few  survivors  surrendered, 
Carew  had  them  slaughtered.  The  side-walls  of  the 
castle  still  stand  above  Bantry  Bay,  marking  the  site  of 
one  of  the  most  savage  incidents  in  Irish  history. 

The  lord  of  Dunboy,  Donall  O'Sullivan,  was  now 
homeless  and  forced  to  begin  his  famous  march  to  the 
north.  For  some  weeks,  he  had  held  out  among  the 
Munster  mountains  against  Wilmot,  the  Eng- 
of  O'Suiii-  lish  commander,  but,  toward  the  close  of  1602, 
^^'  he  realized  that  his  one  hope  of  safety  lay  in 

reaching  Ulster  and  joining  forces  with  O'Neill.  It  was 
evident  that  no  help  could  be  expected  from  Spain.  He 
set  out  toward  the  close  of  the  year  with  four  hundred 
soldiers  and  six  hundred  women  and  followers.  They 
were  opposed  and  harassed  at  every  point  of  their  miser- 
able march,  and  only  thirty-five  out  of  the  entire  number 
lived  to  reached  Ulster. 

150.  End  of  the  rebellion.  The  end  was  fast  approach- 
ing. Munster  and  Leinster  were  prostrate,  and  Ulster 
was  now  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  fighting.  Mountjoy 
and  Carew  continued  their  policy  of  devastation,  burning 
houses  and  corn,  and  slaughtering  cattle.  Famine  spread 
over  the  whole  of  Ireland.  O'Neill,  with  a  few  followers, 
was  hiding  in  the  forests  and  among  the  mountains.    He 


i6o2]  CLOSE    OF    THE    TUDOR    PERIOD  177 

Still  hoped  against  hope  for  help  from   Spain.     Queen 
Elizabeth,  wearied  by  the  endless  war,  had  made  over- 
tures to  the  Irish  chieftains,  offering  pardons  and  titles 
to  all  who  should  cease  fighting.     Rory  O'Donnell  and 
several  others  had  already  come  to  terms  with  the  queen. 
To  O'Neill,  also,  Elizabeth  made  flattering  offers,  but 
he  held  out  resolutely,  until  he  received  news 
of  the  death  of  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell,  in  Spain.   Elizabeth. 
With    the    disappearance    of    this    last    hope,   ^®°^" 
O'Neill  saw  that   his   cause  was   lost,   and  decided   to 
close  the  struggle,  when  Queen  Elizabeth  died. 

SUMMARY 

Sir  John  Perrott,  who  became  lord  lieutenant  in  1582,  did 
much  for  Ireland.  He  enforced  English  law  all  over  the 
country,  and  attempted  a  policy  of  conciliation.  He  made  the 
mistake,  however,  of  treacherously  capturing  and  imprison- 
ing Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell  and  several  other  young  chiefs  as 
hostages.  They  became  allies  of  Hugh  O'Neill,  who  headed 
a  rebellion  against  the  government  in  the  name  of  freedom 
and  tolerance  for  Catholics,  in  1595.  Up  to  the  year  1600, 
O'Neill  was  everywhere  successful,  and  by  his  excellent  tac- 
tics and  good  generalship  defeated  every  army  sent  against 
him.  Portmore  w^as  taken  in  1595  by  the  Irish,  who  also  won 
the  battles  of  Drumflugh,  1597,  and  The  Yellow  Ford,  1598. 
A  truce  was  made  in  1599.  The  arrival  of  a  new  lord  lieu- 
tenant, Lord  Mountjoy,  who,  with  his  army,  devastated  the 
provinces  of  Munster  and  Leinster,  and  the  inefficiency  of 
the  Spanish  general,  Aguila,  who  landed  at  Kinsale  in  1601, 
brought  the  rebellion  to  an  end.  The  Irish  lost  the  decisive 
battle  of  Kinsale,  and  Aguila  returned  to  Spain.  Ulster  was 
then  devastated.  Most  of  the  Irish  chiefs  accepted  Eliza- 
beth's offers  of  pardon,  and  submitted  to  her  authority. 
O'Neill  had  laid  down  his  arms  and  was  on  the  point  of 
making  formal  submission  when  the  queen  died,  1603. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 


THE   PLANTATION    OF    ULSTER 


I 603- I 64 I 

English  Sovereigns  : 

James  I,  1603-1625         Charles  I,  1625-1649 

151.    Flight  of   O'Neill   and   O'DonneU.     James,  the 
son  of  Mary  Stuart,  ascended  the  throne  of  England  as 

James  I  in  virtue 
of  his  descent  from 
Henry  VII.  It  is 
worth  remembering 
that  James,  like  the 
Scottish  monarchs 
who  preceded  him, 
was  descended  from 
Fergus,  who,  with 
his  brothers,  led  an 
Irish  colony  to  Scot- 
land, at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixth 
century. 

After  O'Neill's 
submission  he  and 
Rory  O'Donnell  re- 
ceived the  English 
title  of  earl,  and  external  tranquillity  seemed  to  be  re- 
stored to  Ireland.  The  position  of  the  two  great  chiefs 
was,  however,  full  of  difficulties.    They  had  been  restored 


JAMES    I 


i6o8]  THE   PLANTATION    OF    ULSTER  1/9 

to  their  estates,  and  this  caused  envy  and  jealousy  among 
the  adventurers  who  had  hoped  to  secure  these  estates 
in  case  of  forfeiture.  They  were  surrounded  by  enemies 
and  spies,  who  constantly  sent  false  reports  of  their  say- 
ings and  doings  to  London.  Matters  reached  a  climax 
when  the  report  was  spread,  in  1607,  that  these  two 
chiefs  were  planning  another  rebellion.  Both  were  old 
and  worn  out  with  the  fatigues  of  war,  and  they  deter- 
mined to  leave  Ireland,  rather  than  endure  a  ut^gij 
new  period  of  perils.  They  fled  to  the  conti-  "leatiis. 
nent  with  their  families  ;  first  to  France  and  later  to 
Rome,  where  they  were  hospitably  received  by  the  Pope, 
and  pensioned.  O'Donnell  died  in  1608,  and  O'Neill 
did  not  long  survive  him. 

152.  The  system  of  plantations.  One  more  great 
rebellion  was  to  come  a  generation  later.  It  had  two 
main  causes  :  the  suppression  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  the  system  of  plantations.  In  order  thoroughly  to 
understand  the  latter,  we  shall  have  to  go  back  a  little, 
and  trace  its  origin  and  development. 

Until  the  year  1547,  whenever  the  English  govern- 
ment wished  to  be  rid  of  a  troublesome  Irish  chief,  it  had 
settled  matters  by  removing  the  offender,  and  putting 
another  chief  in  his  place,  leaving  the  mass  of  the  tribes- 
men unharmed  and  undisturbed.     During  the  reign  of 

Edward  VI,  a  new  system  was  introduced.  The  „ 

■'  Begun 

entire  estate  of  the  rebellious  chief  was  confis-  under  Ed- 
cated,  and  the  tribesmen,  who  were  considered 
to  be  his  tenants,  as  they  would  have  been  under  Eng- 
lish law,  were  turned  out  of  their  farms  and  homes.  The 
whole  land  of  the  tribe  was  then  given  to  an  "under- 
taker," who  received  it  on  condition  that  he  should  bring 
over  a  certain  number  of  English  colonists  and  plant 
them  on  the  confiscated  land.     Hence  the  name  "  plan- 


l8o  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1608 

tation."  This  naturally  caused  great  loss,  suffering,  and 
misery  to  the  dispossessed  tribesmen,  who  became  bitter 
enemies  of  the  English  government.  Hundreds  of  cul- 
tivators were  often  turned  out  of  house  and 
Its  evils. 

home  in  this  way,  no  provision  being  made  for 

their  future,  beyond  a  general  order  to  settle  elsewhere. 
This  sad  fate  overtook  them  through  no  fault  of  their 
own,  but  simply  because  a  quarrel  had  arisen  between 
the  head  of  their  tribe  and  the  Dublin  government. 
There  was  no  place  for  the  dispossessed  peasants  else- 
where. The  tribesmen  of  other  regions  could  not  find 
room  for  them,  or  give  up  their  own  fields,  which,  indeed, 
they  would  rather  have  defended  by  the  sword. 

153.  Early  attempts  at  plantation.  The  first  ex- 
periment in  the  new  system  occurred  in  1547,  shortly 
after  the  death  of  Henry  VHI.  Two  chiefs,  O'Moore 
and  O' Conor  were  banished,  and  their  lands  confis- 
cated and  given  to  "undertakers,"  to  found  plantations. 
An  Englishman,  who  had  received  a  grant  of  part  of 
this  land,  was  able  to  gain  possession  only  after  severe 
fighting,  and  his  settlement  was  ruined  by  the  perpetual 
attacks  of  the  dispossessed  tribesmen.  The  loss  of  life 
through  fighting  was  not  the  only  evil  resulting  from 
this  system.  Hardly  less  mischievous  was  the  fall  in  the 
value  of  land.  An  estate  which  had  been  in  admirable 
condition  under  its  native  chief  was  usually  reduced  to 
a  wilderness  before  the  planters  gained  possession  of  it. 

A  second  attempt  at  plantation,  in  the  south  and  west, 
during  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  met  with  a  like  fate. 
On  this  occasion,  the  full  force  of  the  English  govern- 
ment was  brought  to  bear  against  the  Irish  tribesmen  ; 
yet,  after  years  of  bitter  fighting,  during  which  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  original  cultivators  were  all  killed,  the  Eng- 
lish were  forced  to  admit  the  defeat  of  their  scheme.    A 


West  Jleath  was  separated  from  Jleath  i 
Kuig  Heiiry  VIIJ's  time 

Wicklow  was  separated  from  Dublin  la  1G05 

L_ . L_ 


1        10  2  Lonsitude        9  3   West  from      S  4-  Greenwich 


i6o8]  THE   PLANTATION   OF   ULSTER  l8l 

third  failure  followed  the  death  of  Shane  O'Neill  in  1570, 
when  half  of  Ulster  was  confiscated  by  Queen  Elizabeth. 

154.  Failure  to  plant  Munster.  In  the  year  which 
saw  the  end  of  the  Geraldine  rebellion,  1585,  a  Dublin 
parliament  confiscated  the  estates  of  the  Earl  of  Des- 
mond and  a  hundred  of  the  Munster  chiefs,  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  rebellion.  In  the  following  year,  Eliza- 
beth made  a  proclamation  that  "  undertakers "  were 
wanted  to  plant  these  lands,  and  estates  were  offered  at 
merely  nominal  prices,  and  free  of  rent  for  five  years.  « 
The  "  undertakers  "  were  to  settle  a  certain  number  of 
families,  according  to  the  size  of  their  estates.  Thus, 
on  an  estate  of  twelve  thousand  acres,  eighty  or  ninety 
English  tenants  were  to  be  planted.  Many  of  the  Eng- 
lishmen who  received  these  estates  never  saw  Ireland, 
while  a  few,  like  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  Edmund  Spen- 
ser, came  and  settled  in  some  of  the  old  castles. 

But  the  attempt  on  the  whole  was  an  absolute  failure, 
for  it  was  impossible  to  find  a  sufficient  number  of  Eng- 
lish tenants  to  occupy  the  immense  areas  confiscated.  As 
a  result,  the  "  undertakers,"  rather  than  let  Difficulty 
their  lands  lie  idle,  violated  the  conditions  of  °*  planting, 
their  grants  by  accepting  Irish  tenants,  who  thus  came 
back  into  possession  of  their  former  lands.  It  was  almost 
always  necessary  to  drive  them  out  in  the  first  instance, 
by  armed  force,  and  they  made  repeated  attacks  on  the 
plantations,  after  the  manner  of  the  old-time  raids.  This 
condition  of  things  went  on  until  the  reign  of  James  I, 

155.  Revival  of  the  Acts  of  Supremacy  and  Uni- 
formity. James  I  was  not  only  a  descendant  of  the 
old  Milesian  race,  but  was  also  strongly  inclined  toward 
the  Catholic  Church.  His  accession  was  hailed  with 
hope  in  Ireland,  and,  in  defiance  of  the  penal  laws  of  his 
predecessor.  Catholic  worship  was  restored  in  parts  of 


l82 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1608 


Leinster  and  Munster.  This  tendency  was  checked 
when,  in  1605,  parliament  revived  the  Act  of  Supremacy, 
which  practically  excluded  all  Catholics  from  office,  and 
the  Act  of  Uniformity,  which  compelled  attendance  at 
Protestant  places  of  worship,  on  pain  of  fine  and  im- 
prisonment. Though  these  acts  could  not  be  generally 
enforced,  they  were,  nevertheless,  the  cause  of  great  irri- 
tation and  indignation. 

156.  Plantation  of  Ulster.     King  James  had  long  in- 
tended to  establish  further  plantations  in  Ireland.     He 


SETTLERS'    HOUSES    IN    THE    ULSTER    PLANTATION 
From  a  book  published  in  1622,  entitled  "A  Brief  Survey  of  the  Present  Estate  of  the 
Plantation  of  London  Derry."     The  houses  represented  were  erected  by  the  company 
of  Drapers. 

accordingly  took  advantage  of  the  flight  of  O'Neill,  earl 
of  Tyrone,  and  O'Donnell,  earl  of  Tyrconnell.  James  had 
no  legal  claim  to  their  lands,  as  they  had  been  lawfully 
instated,  and  had  broken  no  law  when  they  left  the  coun- 
try. Nevertheless,  in  1608,  he  confiscated  the  greater 
part  of  six  of  the  nine  counties  of  Ulster,  including  some 
three  quarters  of  a  million  acres  of  fertile  land.  This 
was  distributed  among  three  classes  of  holders, 

Dlstribu-  »  ^^  .  ,' 

tionofthe     who  were  known  as  "undertakers,"  "servitors," 

and  "old  natives."  The  undertakers,  who  were 
English  or  Scotch,  had  holdings  of  two  thousand  acres, 
and  were  obliged  to  plant  either  English  or  Scotch  Prot- 
estants.   The  servitors,  who  were  Protestant  Irish  who 


i6i3]  THE    PLANTATION    OF    ULSTER  183 

had  upheld  the  English  government  during  the  late 
rebellion,  received  fifteen  hundred  acres,  and  might  take 
Scotch,  English,  or  Irish  Protestant  tenants.  The  third 
class  held  a  thousand  acres,  and  were  allowed  to  plant 
Catholics,  who  were  exempted  from  the  Act  of  Suprem- 
acy. The  formation  of  these  settlements  Sharply  di- 
vided by  religious  differences  added  a  new  element  to 
the  already  existing  causes  of  strife. 

Besides  the  distribution  of  land  just  described,  many 
thousand   acres   were   granted   to     Protestant  special 
churches  and  educational  institutions,  Trinity  grants. 
College  in  Dublin,  for  example,  receiving  nearly  ten  thou- 
sand acres.    Companies  of  London  merchants  and  a  few 
favored  individuals  also  received  large  grants.    The  dis- 
possessed cultivators  were  supposed  to  go  elsewhere  to 
seek  new  lands.    They  were  so  numerous,  however,  that 
there  was  nowhere  for  them  to  go,  so  that  many  ^^atije. 
of  them  remained  as  laborers  for  the  new  ten-  came  of 
ants,  or  became  wanderers  and  fugitives   near  possessed 
their  old  homes.    Some  managed  to  find  refuge  ^^**"^®*" 
in  the  wilder  mountain  regions,  where  they  were  able  to 
keep  a  few  cattle  or  sheep,  and  so  to  eke  out  a  miserable 
existence.     They  were  so  worn  out  from  past  years  of 
fighting  that  they  offered  no  armed  resistance,  and  the 
new  plantations  were  for  the  time    comparatively   free 
from  attack,  and  fairly  prosperous. 

157.  The  first  national  parliament.     King  James  con- 
ferred one  benefit  on  Ireland.     Formerly,  only  English 
settlers  could  claim  the  protection  of  the  law  EngUsh 
courts  in  Ireland.     Now  the  uniform  protection   tg^^ed  .to 
of  the  law  was  extended  to  all  inhabitants  of  the  Ireland, 
country,  English  and  Irish  alike.    The  act  which  brought 
this   about  was  passed    by  a  parliament   assembled  at 
Dublin  in   161 3  ;  a  parliament   which  is  memorable   as 


1 84  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1625 

being  the  first  to  contain  representatives  from  every  part 
of  Ireland.  Forty  fictitious  boroughs  were  created  by 
the  lord  lieutenant,  each  of  which  sent  two  representa- 
tives to  parliament,  thus  insuring  a  majority  favorable 
to  the  purposes  of  the  government.  The  parliament 
voted  King  James  a  large  subsidy,  in  acknowledgment 
of  the  benefits  he  had  conferred  by  extending  the  pro- 
tection of  the  law  to  the  whole  country.  How  much 
real  protection  there  was  in  this  law,  however,  will  be 
seen  shortly. 

158.  A  new  system  of  confiscation.  The  king  and 
his  followers,  elated  at  the  success  of  the  Ulster  planta- 
tion, now  invented  a  new  weapon  of  attack  against  the 
Irish  chiefs.  The  open  confiscation  of  coveted  lands  was 
discontinued.  The  law  courts  were  set  to  work,  and  the 
titles  of  Irish  land-owners  were  attacked  and  declared 
imperfect.  The  owners  had  either  to  lose  their  land  or 
pay  exorbitant  bribes  to  the  officials  and  courts,  to  secure 
a  legal  title  to  their  estates.  The  funds  thus  extorted 
went  to  fill  the  royal  treasury. 

Leinster  suffered  most,  as  that  province  was  overrun 
by  swarms  of  men  known  as  ''  discoverers,"  who  found 
"Disoov-  ^^  invented  flaws  in  the  titles  by  which  Irish 
erers."  families  held  their  estates.  They  then  pro- 
ceeded to  threaten  the  owners  with  legal  dispossession, 
thus  compelling  the  latter  to  bribe  them  heavily.  It 
was  almost  useless  to  refuse  their  demands,  with  a  hope 
of  gaining  justice  in  the  law  courts,  as  judgment  almost 
invariably  went  against  the  land-owners. 

159.  Accession  of  Charles  I.  James  I  died  in  1625, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Charles.  Like  his  father, 
the  new  king  was  perpetually  in  need  of  money,  and 
by  no  means  more  scrupulous  as  to  how  he  obtained  it. 
His  arbitrary  methods  finally  cost  him  his  throne  and  his 


i625]  THE    PLANTATION    OF    ULSTER  185 

head.  He  inherited  from  his  father  a  costly  war  with 
Spain,  and  this  led  him  to  extort  money  from  Catholics 
and  Protestants  alike.  He  made  promises  to  ^jg 
both,  which  he  never  intended  to  keep,  and,  in  duplicity. 
return  for  these  promises,  received  large  subsidies  from 
Ireland.  The  Catholics  wished  to  obtain  religious  free- 
dom and  civil  equality,  while  the  Protestants,  alarmed 
at  the  corruption  of  the  law  courts,  and  fearing  that  it 
would  soon  be  their  turn  to  suffer  legalized  robbery, 
sought  to  have  the  titles  to  their  lands  indorsed  by  royal 
decree.  Instead  of  summoning  a  parliament  and  having 
money  voted  in  the  usual  way  the  year  of  his  accession, 
Charles  made  an  agreement  under  which  the  Irish  land- 
owners were  to  pay  him  a  subsidy  of  a  hun-  TheFifty- 
dred  and  twenty  thousand  pounds,  in  instal-  one  Graces, 
ments,  in  return  for  a  series  of  concessions,  called  the 
"Fifty-one  Graces."  The  Irish  paid  the  subsidy,  and 
waited  for  the  parliament  which  was  to  have  been  sum- 
moned to  confirm  these  ''  Graces."  When  Charles  had 
received  the  money,  his  interest  in  the  matter  ended,  and 
the  parliament  was  never  convened. 

The  violation  of  the  two  most  important  of  these 
"  Graces,"  namely,  the  protection  of  estates  against  con- 
fiscation and  plantation,  which  affected  Protestants  and 
Catholics  alike,  and  the  extension  of  religious  toleration 
to  Catholics,  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  Irish  re- 
bellion of  1641,  as  similar  acts  of  the  king  were  the  cause 
of  the  revolution  in  England  at  the  same  time. 

160.  Arrival  of  Wentworth,  The  new  lord  lieu- 
tenant, Thomas  Wentworth,  later  known  as  Lord  Straf- 
ford, was  a  fit  servant  for  such  a  master.  He  viewed 
Ireland  as  a  conquered  country,  which  had,  therefore, 
no  rights  or  liberties,  save  such  as  the  king,  in  his  royal 
clemency,  might  deign  to  grant.     Wentworth  came  to 


l86  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1634 

Ireland  in  1633  with  a  firm  determination  to  accomplish 
two  things,  no  matter  what  they  might  cost  :  first,  to 
make  the  king  undisputed  master  throughout  the  coun- 
try, and,  second,  to  make  him  rich  by  trading  in  grants 
of  Irish  land.  He  began  by  collecting  twenty  thousand 
pounds  from  the  Catholics,  for  freedom  from  the  penal 
laws,  and  an  extra  year's  subsidy  from  the  Irish 
"Graces"  land-owners  for  permission  to  call  a  parliament 
evaded.  ^^  ratify  the  "  Graces."  This  parliament  met  in 
1634,  and  voted  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  pounds 
to  the  king,  but  Wentworth,  by  his  determined  cunning, 
succeeded  in  rendering  the  "  Graces"  ineffective. 

161.  Wentworth  breaks    all    promises.     Now    that 
Wentworth  had  received  the  money  he  required,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  break  all  his  promises,   and  violate 

Oonfisca- 

tions  in        every  law  for  the  protection  of  land.     He  began 

connaught.    ^^  attacking  the  titles  of  the  Connaught  estates, 

and  confiscating  them  one  after  another.     Each  case  was 

brought  to  trial  before  a  fictitious  court,  where  judge, 

jury,  and  sheriff  were  paid  servants  of  Wentworth,  who 

had  given  them  their  instructions  beforehand.     Victims 

were  found  among  the  Protestants  and  Catholics  alike. 

After    these    confiscations    in    Connaught,  the   lord 

lieutenant  extended  his  system  to  Clare  and  Tipperary, 

in  Munster.  Much  as  he  wished  to  turn  the 
Confisca- 
tions in  confiscated  estates  into  plantations,  he  feared 
Munster.  ^^  ^^  ^^^  owing  to  the  unstable  position  of 
Charles  in  England.  Such  an  attempt  would  undoubt- 
edly have  brought  about  an  immediate  rebellion,  and  he 
was  wise  enough  to  recognize  this.  He  failed,  however, 
to  see  that  the  result  of  his  master's  policy  was  equally 
certain  to  bring  disaster,  though  it  was  slower  in  com- 
ing. 

162.  Wentworth's  administration.    Although  Went- 


i634] 


THE    PLANTATION    OF    ULSTER 


S7 


worth  was  the  most  despotic  governor  the  Irish  had 
known,  his  administration  had  a  bright  side.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  maintaining  order  among  the  quarrelsome 
lords  and  chiefs,  and  thus  gave  the  country  and  thie 
poorer  classes  time  to  recover  from  the  continual  war- 
fare. He  gathered  together,  drilled,  and  armed  nine 
thousand  Irish  Catholics,  to  support  his  royal  master, 


THE   EARL  OF  STRAFFORD   GOING   TO   EXECUTION 


and  in  the  absence  of  local  wars  trade  began  to  recover, 
and  the  country  enjoyed  a  measure  of  prosperity.  We 
must  condemn  Wentworth  for  the  destruction 

Destruction 

of  the  Irish  wool  trade,  which  had  always  been  of  the  wool 
a   very   flourishing    industry.      He    considered  ^^  ®" 
that   the  Irish  trade   interfered  with  the  English,  and 
therefore  must  be  stopped.    To  replace  it  he  introduced 
the  manufacture  of  linen,  which  was  very  successful,  and 


l88  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1641 

has  since  become,  especially  in  Ulster,  one  of  the  most 
valuable  Irish  industries. 

Wentworth  was  made  Earl  of  Strafford  for  his  loyalty 
to  the  king,  but  his  course  was  almost  run.  In  1640,  he 
End  of  was  recalled  to  England,  to  subdue  the  Scottish 
worth's  Covenanters,  who,  in  their  own  way,  were  fight- 
career,  ing  the  battle  of  religious  liberty.  A  few  months 
later,  he  was  impeached  by  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
brought  to  trial  on  certain  grave  charges,  the  severest  of 
which  was  that  he  had  raised  an  Irish  Catholic  army,  to 
be  used  against  the  people  and  parliament  of  England. 
He  was  condemned,  and  went  bravely  to  the  scaffold, 
being  beheaded  at  the  Tower,  in  May,  1641. 

SUMMARY 

The  plantation  system  was  an  abuse  which  originated  in 
the  time  of  King  Edward  VI,  and  during  the  two  succeeding 
reigns  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  plant  various  parts 
of  Ireland  were  made.  James  I,  in  1605,  revived  the  Acts 
of  Supremacy  and  Uniformity.  In  1608,  he  seized  and  con- 
fiscated the  estates  of  the  earls  of  Tyrone  and  Tyrconnell,  — 
that  is,  nearly  all  Ulster,  —  distributing  it  to  planters  under 
specified  religious  restrictions.  This  Plantation  of  Ulster, 
1608,  was  the  first  successful  plantation.  In  16 13,  the  first 
national  parliament  decreed  the  extension  of  English  law  to 
all  of  Ireland.  At  the  same  time  King  James,  with  the  he]p 
of  the  "discoverers"  and  the  corrupt  law  courts,  extorted 
great  sums  from  the  Irish  by  attacking  the  titles  to  estates. 

Charles  I  added  to  the  abuses  of  his  father.  In  return  for 
large  subsidies,  he  promised  to  the  Irish  "Fifty-one  Graces," 
which  were  never  ratified  by  parliament.  Wentworth,  Lord 
Strafford,  was  lord  lieutenant  from  1633  to  1640.  His  admin- 
istration was  marked  by  confiscations  in  Connaught  and  Mun- 
ster,  and  by  the  destruction  of  the  Irish  wool  trade.  Other- 
wise the  country  prospered  under  his  rule. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

THE    IRISH    REBELLION 

I 641-1649 

English  Sovereign:  Charles  I,  1625-1649 

163.  Plans  for  rebellion.  The  many  evils  which  Ire- 
land had  suffered  since  the  accession  of  the  Stuarts,  espe- 
cially through  the  system  of  confiscation  and  spoliation, 
together  with  the  ever-present  Catholic  abuses,  were  be- 
ginning to  bear  fruit  when  Strafford  left  Ireland.  The 
Anglican  Church  party  represented  the  king,  while  the 
Scottish  settlers,  and  many  of  the  English  colonists, 
drawn  from  the  mass  of  the  people,  were  on  the  side  of 
the  parliament.  The  native  Irish  were  fully  convinced 
that  they  could  hope  for  no  redress  from  the  king,  and 
that  their  only  course  was  to  fight  against  the  Dublin 
government.  Their  leaders,  headed  in  the  beginning 
by  Roger  O' Moore  of  Leix,  whose  family  had  once 
been  very  powerful  but  had  lost  its  possessions  under 
Queen  Mary,  and  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill  of  Ty-  Determina- 
rone,  held  repeated  meetings,  and  determined  naJ"**^^ 
to  make  a  resolute  stand  for  reform,  or  at  least  chiefs, 
for  relief  from  oppression.  They  hoped  for  assistance 
from  their  exiled  fellow-countrymen,  who,  by  this  time, 
had  grown  numerous  in  various  European  countries,  espe- 
cially France,  Spain,  and  Italy,  and  who  had  in  many 
cases  risen  to  positions  of  great  distinction.  Through 
the  influence  of  these  exiles,  the  Irish  also  hoped  for 


His  ability. 


190  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1641 

aid  from  the  countries  where  they  had  taken  refuge,  and 
which  they  had  served  so  well. 

164.  Owen  Roe  O'Neill  chosen  as  leader.    The  lead- 
ers of  the  Irish,  having  determined  to  act,  gath- 
ered their  armies  together,  and  sent  an  invita- 
tion to  Owen  Roe  O'Neill,  a  nephew  of  the  great  Hugh 

O'Neill,  earl  of 
Tyrone,  to  take 
command.  Owen 
Roe  was  then  in 
the  Netherlands, 
and  was  an  admi- 
rable leader  and 
a  most  accom- 
plished man,  who 
wrote  and  spoke 
Latin,  French, 
Spanish,  and  Eng- 
lish, as  well  as 
Irish,  his  mother- 
tongue.  He  had 
won  renown  on 
numerous  conti- 
nental battlefields, 
and  was  well  fit- 
ted, both  by  gen- 
ius and  training,  to 
lead  a  national  party,  not  only  in  council,  but  in  the  field. 

165.  Outbreak  of  the  rebellion.  The  plan  finally 
agreed  on  by  the  Irish  leaders  was  to  open  the  cam- 
paign by  an  attack  on  Dublin  in  October,  1641.  O'Moore 
was  to  surprise  Dublin  Castle,  while  at  the  same  time  Sir 
Phelim  O'Neill  was  to  attempt  the  capture  of  a  num- 
ber of  English  forts  in  Ulster,  and  thus  give  the  signal 


OWEN    ROE    O'NEILL 

From  a  portrait  on  wood  supposed  to  have  been  painted 

by  a  celebrated  Dutch  artist 


i64i] 


THE   IRISH    REBELLION 


191 


for  a  general  uprising.  In  spite  of  repeated  warnings, 
the  Dublin  government  had  no  realization  of  what  was 
taking  place  till  the  last  moment,  when  the  Maguire 
lords  justices  arrested  two  of  the  leaders,  Ma-  MacMahon 
guire  and  MacMahon,  who  were  sent  to  London,  captured, 
convicted,  and  hanged.  The  authorities  at  once  strength- 
ened Dublin,  so  that,  if  need  be,  it  might  stand  a  siege. 
If  the  attack  on  publin  failed,  on  the  other  hand  all 


CHARLEMONT    FORT 


Captured  by  Phelim  O'Neill  in  October,  1641.  This  land  was 
first  intrenched  by  Lord  Mountjoy  in  1602.  The  fort  above 
was  built  not  long  after,  and  was  formerly  surrounded  by  a 
moat  crossed  by  a  drawbridge 

Ulster  was  soon  in  the  power  of  the  national  leaders. 

Sir  Phelim  O'Neill,  by  the  subterfuge  of  a  false  sirPheiim 

commission  from  the  king,  gained  possession  of  O'Neiiiin 

Charlemont  Fort ;  and  Newry,  Dungannon,  and 

other  strongholds  were  also  taken.     Sir  Phelim  was  now 

at  the  head  of  thirty  thousand  undisciplined  men,  drawn 

from  among  the  dispossessed  tribesmen,  whose  „    „ 

.      ^  ^  '  Merciless 

one  desire  was  to  seek  revenge  and  plunder,    devasta- 
For  a  few  days  the  determination  to  avoid  un- 
necessary bloodshed  was  carried  out.     Then  the  army 


192  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1642 

began  to  burn  and  kill.  It  was  the  progress  of  Mount- 
joy  repeated,  but  with  the  tables  turned.  The  blood  of 
thousands,  innocent  and  guilty,  flowed  together  ;  settlers 
and  natives,  Protestants  and  Catholics,  butchered  each 
other.  In  many  instances  Protestants  were  protected 
from  the  army  through  the  interposition  of  the  Catholic 
clergy. 

166.  Four  parties  in  Ireland.      At  the  beginning  of 
1642,  we  find  four  fairly  well  defined  parties  in  Ireland, 
each  of  which  had  control  of  an  army.     First 
was  the  Old  Irish,  which  stood  for  total  separa- 
tion from  England.     This  party  included  those  who  had 
suffered  most   from   the   plantations  and  the  religious 
persecutions.     They  were  in  possession  of  Ulster.     Sec- 
Angio-irish  ^^^  came  the  old  Anglo-Irish  or  Normans,  who 
Catholics,      j^^d  suffered  in  the  same  way,  though  not  so 
severely.     They  stood  for  civil  and  religious  liberty,  but 
in  political  union  with  England.    They  occupied  the  cen- 
tral and  southern  parts  of  the  country.    These  two  parties 
were  both  Catholic,  but,  from  lack  of  union,  they  greatly 
weakened  their  cause.     Third,   there  were  the   Presby- 
terians and   Puritans,  under  Robert  Monro  in 

^      '      Ulster,  adherents  of  the  English  Parliamenta- 
rians and  working  with  the  Scottish  Covenanters,  the 
most  bitter  enemies  of  the  king.     They  were  naturally 
extremely  hostile  toward  the  Catholic  parties.     Fourth, 
there  were  the   RoyaUsts,    with  their    strong- 

oya  s  s.  ^^^^  .^  Dublin.  They  belonged  to  the  Angli- 
can established  church,  which  recognized  the  king  of 
England  as  its  head. 

167.  Arrival  of  Owen  Roe  O'Neill.  For  nearly  a 
year  fighting  went  on  in  Ulster,  the  Old  Irish  under 
PheHm  O'Neill  attacking  Monro  and  his  Puritans  with 
varying  success.     Sir  Phelim  was  a  bad  general,  so  Monro 


1642]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  193 

began  to  gain  ground  steadily.  Ulster  had  become  a  wil- 
derness during  months  of  relentless  warfare  and  devasta- 
tion, when  the  Irish  cause  was  strengthened  by  the  arrival 
of  the  long-expected  Owen  Roe  O'Neill,  in  July,  He  takes 
1642.  He  brought  a  large  number  of  conti-  JJ^^i5^^°* 
nental  officers  with  him  from  Belgium,  where  i"sh. 
he  had  done  brilliant  service  for  the  Spanish  armies. 
With  his  headquarters  in  Tyrone,  in  the  heart  of  his 
ancestors'  territory,  he  and  his  officers  immediately  set 
about  forming  a  disciplined  army,  drilling  and  training 
recruits  to  add  to  the  Old  Irish  army.  The  new  general 
immediately  put  an  end  to  all  acts  of  lawlessness  and 
cruelty,  ordered  the  release  of  the  Protestant  prisoners, 
and  punished  many  of  those  who  had  been  guilty  of  out- 
rage and  violence. 

168.  Confederation  of  Kilkenny.  Both  Catholic 
armies  now  had  competent  leaders  and  were  fairly  well 
equipped,  but  there  was  no  union,  either  of  purpose  or  of 
organization,  between  them.  An  important  step  toward 
attaining  this  end  was  now  taken  in  the  Confederation 
of  Kilkenny,  an  elected  representative  body  which  as- 
sembled at  the  suggestion  of  the  Catholic  bishops,  on 
October  24,  1642.  It  had  as  its  main  aim  the 
union  of  the  various  Catholic  interests  into  unite  au 
one  solid  party.  The  confederation  was  well 
supplied  with  funds,  and  spent  largely  on  shows  and 
pageants.  We  read  of  an  endless  series  of  illumina- 
tions, banquets,  and  balls.  The  members  of  the  great 
Norman  houses  of  Leinster  vied  with  each  other  in 
display.  The  Supreme  Council  journeyed  in  state  from 
Kilkenny  to  Wexford,  from  Wexford  to  Waterford,  from 
Waterford  to  Limerick  and  Galway,  surrounded  by 
hundreds  of  horsemen  with  drawn  swords,  and  accom- 
panied by  numerous  officials.     We   hear   of   civil   and 


194  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1644 

military  representations,  of  comedies  and  stage-plays, 
feasts  and  banquets,  and  "  palate-enticing  dishes  "  during 
the  journey. 

169.  The  Parliament  of  Kilkenny.  The  parliament 
which  met  on  October  24,  1642,  consisted  of  eleven 
bishops,  fourteen  lords,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  commoners.  Its  first  official  act  was  a  formal  decla- 
ration of  loyalty  to  the  king,  for  no  sooner  had  the  new 
parliament  met  than  the  Royalists  of  Dublin  proceeded 
to  denounce  its  organizers  as  rebels.  Its  second  act  was 
to  assume  the  government  of  the  country,  according  to 

the  provisions  drawn  up  at  a  preliminary  meet- 
Councii  ing.  A  Supreme  Council  of  twenty-four  mem- 
®  ®°^®  ■  bers  was  elected,  six  being  chosen  from  each 
province.  This  council  minted  money  and  enlisted  sol- 
diers to  form  a  national  army. 

170.  Attitude  of  Charles  I.  Owen  Roe  O'Neill  was 
at  the  head  of  the  Old  Irish  army  in  Ulster,  opposing 
Monro  ;  while  Preston,  with  the  Anglo-Irish  in  Leinster, 
was  opposed  to  the  Royalists.  The  king  meanwhile  con- 
tinued his  policy  of  short-sighted  self-seeking,  breaking 
pledges  whenever  he  saw  a  slight  temporary  advantage. 
The  chasm  between  him  and  his  parliament  was  growing 
His  false  daily  wider  ;  he  was,  therefore,  willing  enough 
overtures.  ^^  make  friends  with  the  Supreme  Council  of 
the  Confederation  at  Kilkenny,  hoping  to  use  them  as 
allies  in  his  English  wars.  His  ministers,  and  especially 
Ormond,  appointed  lord  lieutenant  in  1644,  caused  this 
plan  to  miscarry.  Moreover,  when  attacked  in  parlia- 
ment, and  accused  of  seeking  help  from  Ireland,  Charles 
did  not  hesitate  to  disown  the  authorities  at  Kilkenny, 
saying  he  had  never  had  anything  to  do  with  them.  At 
this,  the  latter  were  very  naturally  disgusted. 

171.  Lack  of  union  among  the  Catholics.    The  Pope 


1 645] 


THE    IRISH    REBELLION 


95 


sent  money  and  arms  to  the  Irish  Confederation,  but  they 
could  not  fully  profit  by  this  help,  owing  to  increasing 
dissensions  among  themselves.  The  Catholic  bishops 
and  the  Old  Irish  wished  to  fight  actively  for  the  full 
independence  of  Ireland,  while  the  Anglo-Irish  desired 
to  temporize,  and  retain  a  connection  with  the  English 
crown.  O'Neill  and  Preston,  the  two  ablest  Irish  gen- 
erals, were  at  swords'  points,  more  ready  to  hinder  than 
to  help  each  other. 

172.  Attempt  of  the  Scottish  forces  to  unite.  In 
May,  1646,  General  Robert  Monro  and  the  Scottish 
forces  prepared  to  begin  an  offensive  campaign  from 
their  base  at  Carrickfergus  in  Antrim,  where  they  had 
an  army  of  about  seven  thousand  men.  Monro's  brother 
George  had  five  hundred  in  the  north  of  County  Derry, 
while  there  was  a  Scottish  army  of  about  two  thousand 


CARRICKFERGUS    CASTLE 
Giving  a  good  idea  of  the  castle  with  its  large  keep  as  it  appears  from  the  water 

at  Londonderry.  It  was  decided  to  bring  these  three 
forces  together  toward  the  southern  border  of  Ulster, 
and  then  to  proceed  southward  against  the  government 
of  the  Confederation,  centred  at  Limerick. 


196  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1646 

Owen  Roe  O'Neill,  with  five  thousand  foot  and  five 
hundred  horse,  all  "good,  hopeful  men,"  to  use  his  own 
O'NeiU  words,  by  a  forced  march  reached  the  northern 
intercepts.  Blackwater,  and  pitched  his  camp  on  the  north 
bank,  where  he  was  directly  between  the  two  Monros, 
who  could  join  their  forces  only  after  dislodging  him. 
Robert  Monro,  who  by  this  time  had  reached  Armagh, 
saw  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  give  battle  without 
delay,  if  the  much  smaller  forces  of  his  brother  and  the 
Scots  from  the  north  were  not  to  be  cut  off. 

173.  Battle  of  Benburb.  Robert  Monro  began  a 
northerly  movement  toward  O'Neill's  position  at  dawn 
on  June  5,  1646,  and  presently  reached  the  Black- 
water,  where  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  O'Neill's 
army  across  the  river.  The  two  forces  marched  along 
the  river-bank,  keeping  parallel  to  each  other  for  some 
time,  till  Robert  Monro  finally  forded  the  Blackwater. 
O'Neill  continued  to  withdraw  his  army  toward  the  hill 
o'Neii's  of  Knocknacloy,  the  position  he  had  from  the 
geJuf  *'  fi^st  had  in  mind  for  the  battle.  Here,  he  had 
position.  the  centre  of  his  army  protected  by  the  hill, 
the  right  by  a  marsh,  and  the  left  by  the  Oona  Water, 
a  stream  which  flows  into  the  Blackwater.  Monro  was 
thus  prevented  from  making  any  but  a  frontal  attack. 

While  fighting  was  going  on  at  the  pass  through 
which  O'Neill  had  retreated  and  left  guarded,  he  drew 
up  his  line  of  battle.  We  should  remember  that  the 
Irish  army  was  not  only  outnumbered  by  Monro's,  but 
that  O'Neill  had  no  artillery,  while  Monro  was  well  sup- 
plied with  guns.  The  two  armies  now  met  and  opened 
First  fire.     The  Scottish  artillery  was  planted  on  a 

SMt?^°*  hillock  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  Irish  cen- 
repuised.  tre,  and,  under  cover  of  its  fire,  an  infantry 
charge  was  attempted,  which   was  brilliantly  repulsed 


1646]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  197 

by  the  pikemen  of  Owen  Roe's  army.  A  second  attack 
was  made  by  the  Scottish  cavalry,  who  tried  to  ford  the 
stream,  and  thus  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  Irish  army. 
They  were  met  and  routed  by  the  Irish  horse.  It  was 
about  six  in  the  evening,  and  the  sun,  hanging  low  in  the 
sky,  fell  full  in  the  faces  of  the  Scottish  troops.  O'Neill 
promptly  followed  up  the  rout  of  the  Scottish  horse  by 
an  advance,  making  a  sweeping  movement  from  right  to 
left,  and  thereby  forcing  Monro  into  the  angle  between 
the  Blackwater  and  its  tributary,  where  he  had  no  room 
to  move.  At  this  point,  O'Neill  received  reinforcements, 
consisting  of  four  squadrons  of  cavalry,  sent  earlier  in 
the  day  to  guard  against  the  possible  approach  of  George 
Monro  from  Coleraine,  and  which  now  returned,  having 
fulfilled  their  mission. 

At  a  signal  from  O'Neill,  the  army  advanced  against 
Monro,  and  was  met  by  a  charge  of  the  Scottish  cavalry, 
instantly  replied  to  by  a  charge  of  the  Irish  cavalry. 
Monro's  first  line  was  broken,  and  an  advance  of  the  Irish 
pikemen,  equivalent  to  a  charge  with  bayonets,  steadily 
forced  him  backward.  It  was  a  fierce  hand-  Monro 
to-hand  struggle.  The  order  of  O'Neill's  ad-  |°to'fhe*''^ 
vance  was  well  held,  while  the  Scottish  forces,  "ver. 
already  broken  and  crowded  into  the  narrow  space  be- 
tween the  two  rivers,  were  in  confusion.  Finally  the 
Irish  army  reached  and  stormed  the  hill  where  Monro's 
artillery  was  placed,  and  victory  was  won.  The  defeat  of 
the  Scottish  army  was  turned  into  a  complete  rout,  and 
when  the  sun  set,  more  than  three  thousand  of  Monro's 
men  lay  dead  on  the  field. 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  the  Irish  losses  were  only 
seventy,  yet  such  is  the  number  recorded  by  their  ad- 
versaries. Not  only  was  Monro's  army  utterly  defeated, 
but  all  his  artillery,  his  tents  and  baggage,  fifteen  hun- 


198 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1647 


IIHi^H^^HHI 

■■■fip 

^5^ 

i 

■' 

^^ 

IV 

Ml 

^ 

^^^K  c  '^^SHftPf^  i 

■ 

m 

1 

dred  horses,  twenty  stand 
„  ^   ^  ,      of     colors,    two 

Extent  of  ^      ' 

the  Irish       months'     provi- 
victory.  .  , 

sions,  and  nu- 
merous prisoners  of  war 
fell  into  O'Neill's  hands. 
As  a  result  of  the  battle, 
the  two  auxiliary  forces 
had  to  turn  back,  while 
General  Robert  Monro 
fled  to  Carrickfergus. 

174.  Dublin  in  the 
hands  of  the  English 
Parliamentarians.  In 
the  following  year,  1647, 
an  attempt  was  made  to 
capture  Dublin.  The  Con- 
federates heard  that  the 
lord  lieutenant,  Ormond,  was  planning  to  surrender  the 
city  to  the  Parliamentarians,  and  O'Neill  and  Preston  were 
sent  with  orders  to  take  it  before  Ormond  could  act. 
As  before,  the  two  generals  disagreed.  O'Neill  and  the 
Jealousy  other  Old  Irish  leaders  wished  to  take  the  town 
by  force  ;  while  Preston  and  the  Anglo-Irish 
wished  to  negotiate.  Further,  a  false  alarm 
caused  the  Irish  generals  to  break  up  their  camp,  and  to 
begin  a  retreat.  Before  they  could  recover  the  ground 
thus  lost,  Ormond  seized  the  wished-for  opportunity  to 
hand  the  town  over  to  the  Parliamentarian  army,  and 
then  fled  to  France. 

175.  O'Neill's  successes.  During  the  two  years  after 
the  battle  of  Benburb,  Owen  Roe  O'Neill  held  the  cen- 
tral plain,  the  west,  and  most  of  the  north  of  Ireland 
against  the  English  armies  of  Royalists  and  Parliamen- 


JAMES   BUTLER,  DUKE   OF   ORMOND 


Of  O'Neill 

and 

Preston. 


1648]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  199 

tarians  alike,  gaining  victory  after  victory,  generally 
against  superior  numbers,  better  armed  and  better 
equipped.  We  find  him  frequently  almost  betrayed  by 
the  Supreme  Council,  because  the  Norman  lords  of 
Leinster,  perpetually  anxious  for  their  own  feudal  es- 
tates, were  ready  to  treat  w4th  either  one  of  the  English 
parties  which  was  for  the  moment  victorious.  At  this 
time  the  Norman  lords  were  in  possession  of  many  of 
the  confiscated  abbey  lands  in  Ireland,  and  there  was  per- 
petual friction  between  them  and  the  Catholic  Attitude  of 
Church  on  this  account.  The  Norman  land-  1^^°'''^^ 
owners  were  the  element  of  weakness  through-  owners. 
out  the  whole  of  this  national  movement.  While  pray- 
ing for  the  final  defeat  of  the  English  Parliarqentarian 
forces,  they  dreaded  to  see  this  defeat  brought  about  ^by 
■  Owen  Roe  O'Neill,  in  whom  they  saw  the  representa- 
tive of  the  old  Gaelic  tribal  ownership,  a  return  to  which 
would  mean  their  own  extinction. 

176.  Defeat  of  two  Irish  armies.  The  other  Irish 
generals  were  less  successful  than  O'Neill.  In  August, 
1647,  the  Confederate  and  Parliamentarian  armies  met 
in  battle  near  Summerhill,  in  Meath.  Preston  was  in 
command  of  the  Irish,  and  was  completely  defeated  by 
the  Parliamentarian  army  under  Colonel  Jones,  governor 
of  Dublin,  losing  more  than  five  thousand  men.  This 
defeat  was  followed  by  another  sh'ortly  after,  though 
under  other  leaders,  near  Mallow,  in  the  north  of  Cork. 

177.  Alliance  of  Royalists  and  Confederates.  Or- 
mond  returned  to  Ireland  in  1648,  after  about  a  year's 
absence,  and  took  command  of  the  Anglican  Royalists, 
on  behalf  of  King  Charles.  He  hoped  to  carry  out  a 
plan  by  which  the  Royalists  were  to  act  with  the  Confed- 
erates, on  condition  that  the  laws  against  the  Catholics 
should  be  repealed.     Both  parties  were  then  to  try  to 


200  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1649 

save  the  king  from  the  English  Parliament,  which  had 
Execution  definitely  gained  the  upper  hand  in  the  long 
jaSia^"^^"  contest.  It  was,  however,  too  late  to  help  the 
1649.  fallen  monarch.     He    was   tried,    condemned, 

and  beheaded,  on  January  30,  1649,  and  England  was 
completely  in  the  power  of  Oliver  Cromwell  and  the 
Parliamentarians. 

SUMMARY 

By  1641,  discontent  had  become  so  strong  in  Ireland  that 
the  chiefs  of  the  Old  Irish  clans  determined  to  rebel.  Owen 
Roe  O'Neill  was  invited  to  return  from  the  continent  and 
command  the  army.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  to  take  Dublin 
was  followed  by  the  devastation  of  Ulster  by  the  Irish. 

There  were  four  distinct  parties  in  Ireland  at  the  begin- 
ning of  1642  :  two  of  them  were  Catholic,  but  they  thwarted 
rather  than  aided  each  other.  They  were  opposed  by  the 
Scotch  Presbyterians  under  Monro  and  the  Anglican  Royal- 
ists of  Dublin.  A  Catholic  assembly  met  in  1642,  and  drew 
up  a  plan  which  was  brought  into  operation  by  the  Con- 
federation of  Kilkenny.  The  Confederates  took  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country  into  their  own  hands,  under  a  Supreme 
Council  which  was  elected  from  the  Parliament  of  Kilkenny 
in  October,  1642.  Fighting  between  the  different  parties 
was  more  or  less  continuous  during  the  next  few  years.  On 
June  5,  1646,  O'Neill  won  the  famous  battle  of  Benburb,  where 
Monro  and  his  Scots  were  completely  routed.  The  following 
year  Dublin  was  handed  over  by  Ormond  to  the  Parliamenta- 
rians. During  1646-48,  O'Neill  led  a  successful  campaign 
in  the  w^est  and  north,  but  other  Irish  generals  suffered 
repeated  defeats.  Charles  I  was  already  in  serious  danger. 
Ormond  returned  to  Ireland  and  attempted  to  unite  Royal- 
ists and  Confederates  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  save  the  king, 
who  was  executed  by  the  Parliamentarians,  January  30,  1649. 


CHAPTER    XX 
CROiVIWELL   AND   THE    RESTORATION 

1649-1688 

English  Sovereigns  : 

Commonwealth,  1649-1660         Charles  II,  1 660-1 685 
James  II,  1685-1688 

178.  Charles  II  proclainied  king.  For  some  time 
after  the  execution  of  Charles  I,  the  Parhamentarians 
lost  ground  in  Ireland.  Charles,  prince  of  Wales,  was  ac- 
claimed king  as  Charles  II  by  nearly  all  the  contestants, 
including  Ormond,  the  Confederation,  and  the  Scottish 
Presbyterians.  Several  important  forts  which  had  been 
lost  were  recaptured  for  the  new  king.  Ormond  now 
decided  to  besiege  Dublin,  held  by  the  Parliamentarians 
under  Colonel  Jones,  although  his  force  was  too  small  to 
undertake  a  regular  siege.  He  marched  toward  Dublin, 
and  encamped  at  Rathmines,  ordering  one  of  his  officers 
to  fortify  a  castle  just  outside  the  town.  Colonel  Jones 
anticipated  him.  Making  a  sortie  on  the  night  of  Au- 
gust 2,  1649,  ^^  surprised  Ormond,  and  com-  Defeat  of 
pletely  defeated  him,  slaying  six  hundred  of  Omona. 
his  men,  and  capturing  his  baggage.  Ormond  withdrew 
the  remnant  of  his  army,  but  the  blow  to  the  new  king's 
cause  was  a  severe  one. 

179.  Arrival  of  Cromwell.  In  England,  the  parlia- 
ment was  supreme,  though  destined  soon  to  be  over- 
shadowed by  the  personal  power  of  Oliver  Cromwell. 
The    Irish    Royalists   were   weak.      Dublin   and   other 


202  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1649 

strongkolds  still  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Parlia- 
mentarians. The  greater  part  of  Ireland  had  declared 
for  Charles  II,  and  therefore  the  English  Parliament 
decided  that  Ireland  must  be  conquered  by  the  Parlia- 
Landsat  mentarian  army.  On  August  14,  1649,  Oliver 
Dublin.  Cromwell  landed  at  Dublin  with  eight  thou- 
sand infantry,  four  thousand  cavalry,  twenty  thousand 
pounds  in  coin,  and  a  large  quantity  of  artillery ;  he  was 
supported  by  his  son-in-law,  Ireton,  as  second  in  com- 
mand. Shortly  before  this,  Cromwell  had  been  appointed 
lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland  by  the  English  Parliament, 
with  an  understanding  that  he  should  enforce  the  penal 
laws  against  Catholics.  He  immediately  issued  two  pro- 
clamations, one  promising  pardon  and  protection  to  all 
who  submitted  to  the  English  Parliament,  and  the  other 
ordering  his  soldiers  to  abstain  from  violence  against  the 
natives  of  Ireland. 

180.  Capture  of  Drogheda.  Ormond  had  strength- 
ened the  defences  of  Drogheda,  and  garrisoned  it  with 
two  thousand  foot  and  three  hundred  horse,  well  offi- 
cered, and  well  supplied  with  provisions  and  ammunition. 
Immediately  upon  landing,  Cromwell  marched  thither 
from  Dublin,  and  ordered  the  town  to  surrender.  On  its 
refusal,  he  began  a  cannonade  which  lasted  ^wo  days. 
Only  after  the  third  assault  did  he  succeed  in  taking  the 

town.     Then,  in  spite  of  his  recent  proclama- 
Massacre  . 

oj  the  gar-     tion,  he  ordered  a  slaughter  of  the  garrison. 

rison.  Neither   the    governor   nor   his    officers  were 

spared,  and  a  number  of  citizens  were  also  slain.  A  few, 
who  escaped  death,  were  sent  as  slaves  to  Barbados. 

Cromwell's  aim  was  to  terrify  the  Irish  into  submis- 
sion. So  great  was  the  consternation  caused  by  the 
massacre  at  Drogheda,  that  several  strongholds  in  the 
north,  Newry,  Carlingford,  Lisburn,  and  Belfast,  as  well 


1649]       CROMWELL   AND    THE    RESTORATION       203 

as  Trim  and  Dundalk  surrendered  without  a  blow.  Cole- 
raine  was  betrayed  to  Sir  Charles  Coote,  and  George 
Monro,  who  had  joined  the  Royalists,  was  forced  to 
retire  before  him,  surrendering  all  Down  and  Antrim, 
except  the  castle  of  Carrickfergus.  Meanwhile  Ormond 
was  trying  to  organize  an  army  to  oppose  Cromwell. 

181.  Cromwell  takes  Wexford.  After  the  capture 
of  Drogheda,  Cromwell  marched  south,  to  give  another 
example  of  his  pitiless  and  merciless  severity.  Wexford 
was  held  by  a  garrison  of  three  thousand  men.  Cromwell 
arrived  on  October  11,  1649,  surrounded  the  town,  and 
opened  fire.  The  news  of  the  betrayal  of  a  castle  just 
beyond  the  walls  caused  a  panic  in  the  garrison,  and 
the  town  was  speedily  taken.  Again  Cromwell  ^  second 
ordered  the  entire  garrison  and  many  of  the  "massacre, 
citizens  slaughtered.  The  report  of  this  massacre  had  a 
similar  effect  to  that  of  Drogheda.  Many  southern  towns, 
including  Cork,  surrendered.  Cromwell  then  marched 
southwest  to  Youghal,  where  he  decided  to  rest  his  army. 

182.  Death  of  Owen  Roe  O'NeiU.  To  add  to  the 
distress  of  the  Irish  party,  their  best  general,  Owen  Roe 
O'Neill,  died  suddenly  on  November  6,  1649,  after  a 
brief  illness.  For  seven  years  he  had  led  his  armies  to 
constant  victory,  while  the  Norman  lords,  who  were  his 
nominal  allies,  were  secretly  opposing  him  for  their  own 
selfish  ends.  Yet  so  great  was  his  genius  that  he  won 
fight  after  fight,  even  though  the  Irish  Confederation 
was  a  source  of  weakness  rather  than  strength  to  the 
cause  for  which  he  was  fighting.  He  alone  among  the 
Irish  leaders  could  have  met  Cromwell  on  equal  terms, 
and  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  history  was  de- 
prived of  the  spectacle  of  a  contest  between  these  two 
masters  in  the  art  of  war. 

183.  Cromwell  devastates   Munster.     After  Crom- 


204  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1650 

well  had  rested  his  troops,  he  prepared  to  subdue  Mun- 
ster.  The  inhabitants  of  the  small  towns  fled  before  his 
army,  so  that  he  advanced  almost  unopposed.  Clonmel 
proved  an  exception,  however.  This  city  was  held  by 
Resistance  Hugh  O'Neill,  a  nephew  of  Owen  Roe,  and  a 
of  Clonmel.  commander  of  considerable  ability.  Cromwell 
was  repulsed  several  times  before  he  was  finally  able  to 
take  the  town,  and  in  the  end  succeeded  only  because 
O'Neill's  supply  of  ammunition  gave  out.  As  he  had  no 
hope  of  reinforcements,  O'Neill  determined  to  save  his 
army  by  secretly  retiring  toward  Waterford  by  night,  and 
leaving  the  townspeople  to  surrender  the  city,  which  they 
did,  obtaining  favorable  terms. 

184.  Parliamentarians  virtually  hold  Ireland.  Since 
the  siege  of  Drogheda,  Cromwell  had  confined  his  ac- 
tions to  the  south.  In  the  north,  the  Parliamentarian 
forces,  under  Colonel  Venables  and  Sir  Charles  Coote, 
had  gained  one  victory  after  another  ;  so  that  by  May, 
1650,  there  was  scarcely  a  fortress  left  in  the  hands  of 
the  Royalists  throughout  Ulster.  Cromwell's  victories 
in  the  south  completed  his  command  of  the  island.  The 
Royalists,  fighting  for  Charles  II,  a  most  ungrateful  sov- 
ereign, who  deserted  them  in  every  difficulty, 

retunis^^o  Still  held  Limerick  and  a  few  other  towns,  but 
England.  ^^^^  ij^-^-ig  ^q  ^q  feared.  Cromwell  decided  to 
leave  Ireland  in  the  care  of  Ireton,  his  son-in-law,  and 
returned  to  England,  May  29,  1650. 

185.  Fall  of  Limerick.  Ireton  now  prepared  to  take 
Limerick,  after  having  first  sent  Sir  Charles  Coote  to 
besiege  Athlone,  the  key  to  Connaught.  Limerick,  the 
last  important  stronghold  of  the  Royalists,  was  com- 
manded by  Hugh  O'Neill,  the  defender  of  Clonmel. 
Limerick  lies  along  the  south  bank  of  the  Shannon. 
Ireton  first  attacked  it  from  the  south  ;  then,  forcing  the 


1651]      CROMWELL   AND    THE    RESTORATION        205 

bridge,  he  renewed  his  attack  from  the  Clare  side,  firing 
his  cannon  across  the  river.  O'Neill  made  a  brave  de- 
fence, but  circumstances  were  adverse,  and  the  plague 
was  raging  in  the  town.  Half  the  citizens  voted  to  sur- 
render, while  the  rest  wished  to  hold  out  to  the  last. 
The  fate  of  the  city,  as  at  Wexford,  was  de-  The  town 
cided  by  the  treachery  of  one  of  the  officers,  betrayed, 
who  opened  the  gates  and  admitted  the  enemy,  October 
27,  165 1.     This  time  the  garrison  was  spared,  but  some 


LIMERICK    IN    CHARLES    II'S   TIME 

From  a  picture  in  Dineley's  Journal.     The  tower  of  the  cathedral  and  Thomoud  bridge 
are  seen  in  the  centre  and  the  castle  on  the  left 


of  the  leaders  were  executed  ;  among  others,  Dr.  O'Brien, 
bishop  of  Emly. 

A  few  weeks  later,  Ireton  died  of  the  plague,  and 
General  Edmund  Ludlow  took  command.    Lud-  surrender 
low  captured  a  few  isolated  strongholds,  and  °*^*i"^*y' 
then  went  to  aid  Coote,  who,  having  taken  Athlone,  had 


206  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1652 

marched  to  the  west,  and  laid  siege  to  Galway.    After  a 
nine  months'  siege,  the  city  surrendered  in  May,  1652. 

186.  Fleetwood's  High  Court  of  Justice.  The  mid- 
dle of  the  year  1652  saw  Ireland  completely  in  the  hands 
of  the  Parliamentarians,  and  the  war  for  the  time  being 
at  an  end.  Charles  Fleetwood,  who  had  just  married 
Ireton's  widow,  the  daughter  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  was 
made  lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland.  He  organized  a  High 
Court  of  Justice,  to  punish  the  leaders  in  the  rebellion 
of  1 64 1.  This  court  tried  and  sentenced  to  death  some 
two  hundred  persons,  among  them  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill, 
who,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  forged  a  commission 

from  the  king,  authorizing  him  to  take  posses- 
of  Phelim     sion  of   Charlemont  fort.     (See  section   165.) 

On  the  scaffold  he  was  offered  his  life  and  lib- 
erty if  he  would  swear  to  the  genuineness  of  this  com- 
mission, but  he  refused.  The  Parliamentarians  wished 
him  to  do  this,  that  they  might  justify  their  execution  of 
King  Charles  by  proving  the  latter  a  traitor  to  England, 
showing  that  he  had  ordered  towns  to  be  surrendered  to 
the  Irish  enemy. 

187.  New  confiscation  in  Ireland.  The  war  was 
over ;  its  results  were  still  to  come.  Pestilence  and  fam- 
ine were  raging  everywhere,  but  these  were  not  the  worst 
evils.  Cromwell's  soldiers  had  to  be  paid,  and  it  was 
decided  that  they  should  be  rewarded  by  grants  of  Irish 
land.  The  English  Parliament  held  that  the  whole  of 
Ireland  was  liable  to  confiscation,  and  passed  an  act  dis- 
lodging the  Irish  land-owners  in  large  tracts  of  Ulster, 
Leinster,  and  Munster. 

The  process  of  transplanting  was  begun  in  August, 
1652.  Catholics  and  Protestants  in  many  cases  suffered 
together  ;  but,  on  the  whole,  the  persecution  of  the 
Catholics  was  the  more  cruel.     They  were  ordered  to 


1654]      CROMWELL   AND    THE    RESTORATION        20/ 

withdraw  to  Connaught  by  May  i,  1654.  After  this  date 
they  were  outlaws,  Hable  to  be  murdered  by  Extreme 
whoever  chose  to  kill  them.  Moreover,  they  JJ^^^J 
might  not  settle  within  four  miles  of  the  sea  or  catholics, 
a  town,  or  within  two  miles  of  the  Shannon,  the  bound- 
ary of  Connaught.  It  happened  that  during  this  Crom- 
wellian  confiscation  the  greatest  sufferers  were  well-to-do 
people,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  comfort  and  even 
luxury.  Now  that  they  were  driven  from  their  homes, 
they  passed  through  dire  hardships,  wandering  in  winter 
along  unknown  roads,  till  they  came  to  the  miserable 
little  tracts  of  land  allotted  to  them,  in  the  barren  west- 
ern province.  Many,  especially  the  poorer,  remained  as 
hired  laborers  and  servants  in  their  own  former  homes. 
In  Down  and  Antrim  the  Presbyterians  were  presbyteri- 
treated  with  equal  harshness,  because  they  had  ^^  snttex. 
sympathized  with  the  cause  of  the  king.  They  were 
ordered  to  surrender  their  estates,  and  were  transplanted 
to  the  forests  and  hills  of  Leinster,  where  the  few  miser- 
able acres  assigned  them  were  hardly  enough  to  keep 
them  from  starving. 

188.  Results  of  confiscation.  The  natural  result  of 
all  this  persecution  was  retaliation  and  open  hostility. 
Crowds  of  able-bodied  men  formed  themselves  into  bands, 
under  the  names  of  "Tories"  and  "  Rapparees,"  and, 
vowing  vengeance  upon  the  usurpers,  attacked  Bands  of 
the  new  settlers  with  fire  and  sword.  They  outlaws, 
were  hunted  as  outlaws  by  the  settlers,  who  did  all  they 
could  to  exterminate  them. 

It  remained   to  dispose  of   the  large  army  who  had 
fought    for  the    Royalist   cause.     They    were 
allowed,  or  practically  compelled,  to  leave  the  soldiers 
country,  and  many  of  them  entered  the  service     ^  ^  ®  • 
of  continental  nations.    Thirty-five  thousand  enlisted  in 


208  IRELAND'S   STORY  [1654 

the  armies  of  France,  Spain,  Austria,  and  Venice.  The 
lands  of  these  exiled  soldiers,  when  they  had  any,  were 
distributed  among  the  Cromwellian  soldiers.  Widows 
and  orphans  were  hunted  down,  and  sent  as  slaves  to 
the  West  Indies. 

The  brunt  of  this  persecution  was  borne  by  the  Catho- 
lics, whose  religious  freedom  was  now  fiercely  assailed. 
Catholicism  Zealous  pricsts  still  worked  among  the  people, 
kept  alive,  enduring  awful  hardships,  but  all  the  old  laws 
had  been  put  in  force  against  them,  and  they  were  com- 
pelled to  preach  in  secret  and  remain  hidden,  to  escape 
imprisonment. 

189.  The  restoration  of  Charles  II.  We  may  pass 
over  the  next  four  or  five  years,  during  which  the  suffer- 
ings of  Ireland  were  unalleviated,  unless  by  the  absence 
of  actual  war.  Cromwell  died  in  1658.  His  son  Rich- 
ard lacked  the  force  to  uphold  the  system  created  by  his 
father,  and  England  decided  to  recall  Charles  II.  He  was 
proclaimed  king  in  1660  amid  general  rejoicing  through- 
out the  chief  towns  of  Ireland,  and  a  convention  voted 
him  a  donation  of  twenty  thousand  pounds. 

The  Irish  Catholics  expected  much  from  this  king, 
who  was  at  heart  a  Catholic,  and  for  whom  they  had 
fought  so  valiantly  and  suffered  so  much.  They  looked 
for  the  restitution  of  their  lands,  at  the  very  least. 
Charles  was  besieged  with  claims  from  all  sides,  and 
decided  to  pay  no  attention  to  any.  He  made  provision 
for  a  few  powerful  enemies,  but  wholly  neglected  his 
friends,  who  had  ruined  themselves  fighting  for  his  cause. 
Act  of  in  England  and   Ireland  alike.     A  parliament 

Settlement.  ^^^^  summoned  in  1661,  which  passed  an  Act  of 
Settlement,  confirming  the  Cromwellians  in  their  new 
holdings,  and  thus  taking  away  all  hope  from  the  dis- 
possessed native  owners.     Those    Catholics   who  were 


i665]       CROMWELL   AND    THE   RESTORATION        209 

able  to  prove  that  they  had  taken  no  part  in  the  rebelUon 
of  1641  were  to  be  compensated  by  grants  of  unoccupied 
land  elsewhere.  Here  the  exertions  of  Charles  on  be- 
half of  the  Catholics  ended. 

190.  Court  of  Claims.    In   1663,  a  Court  of  Claims 
was  instituted,   to  hear  cases  of  disputed  estates,   and 
pass   ju-dgment    upon   them.     It    was    soon    discovered 
that  nearly  all  the  Catholic  land-owners  were  able  to 
prove   that   they  had  not  taken  part  in    the  rebellion. 
The  new  settlers  became  greatly  alarmed.    To    .  ^  . 
prevent  trouble,   the  Act  of  Explanation  was  Expiana- 
passed,    in    1665,  t>y    which  the   new  settlers 
agreed  to  give  up  one  third  of  their  lands  to  the  dis- 
possessed Catholics. 

191.  Restriction  of  the  cattle  trade.  In  1663,  the 
English  Parliament  prepared  to  strike  another  blow  at 
the  well-being  of  Ireland.  ^  We  have  seen  how  the  wool 
trade  was  destroyed.  (See  section  162.)  England  now 
made  it  unlawful  to  import  cattle  from  Ireland  in  the 
second  half  of  each  year.  Two  years  later,  1665,  a  bill 
was  introduced  prohibiting  the  importation  of  cattle  from 
Ireland  at  any  time.  This  measure,  however,  failed  to 
pass  the  House  of  Lords. 

192.  Division  of  land.  To  add  to  the  general  dis- 
tress and  discontent,  the  king  now  began  ?o  give  large 
grants  of  land  to  his  relatives  and  favorites.  The  amount 
of  reclaimed  and  fertile  land  in  Ireland  was  limited,  and 
there  were  at  least  three  claimants  to  every  acre.  Before 
the  Cromwellian  confiscation  and  the  Act  of  Settlement, 
the  Catholics  possessed  two  thirds  of  the  arable  and  pas- 
ture land,  while  the  remaining  third  was  owned  by  the 
Protestants  of  the  plantations  made  under  Elizabeth  and 
James  I.  Under  the  new  conditions,  the  Catholics  were 
reduced  to  one  third,  while  two  thirds  was  left  in  the  hands 


2IO  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1665 

of  the  Protestants.  It  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  re- 
Favorabie  i^^state  all  the  dispossessed  Catholics,  as  there 
to  Protest-  was  not  land  enough  for  all.  The  claims  of 
many  were  never  even  heard,  and  the  older 
nobility  was  to  a  large  degree  reduced  to  penury.  The 
newcomers,  on  the  other  hand,  were  gradually  assimi- 
lated, as  the  Danes  and  the  Normans  had  been  before 
them.  They  learned  the  Irish  language,  gradually 
adopted  Irish  customs,  and  became  saturated  with  the 
Irish  spirit. 

193.  Rule  of  the  Anglican  Church  restored.  At  this 
time,  the  population  of  Ireland  was  slightly  more  than 
a  million ;  there  were  about  eight  hundred  thousand 
Catholics,  both  Irish  and  Norman-English  ;  a  hundred 
thousand  Anglican  Protestants  ;  and  two  hundred  thou- 
sand Nonconformists,  Presbyterians,  Puritans,  and  In- 
dependents, who  accepted  the  Reformation  of  Luther, 
but  did  not  follow  the  ritual  of  the  Church  of  England. 
During  Cromwell's  time,  the  Nonconformists  were  the 
strongest  element,  and  the  other  two  parties  were  almost 
equally  maltreated.  Cromwell  oppressed  the  Anglicans, 
because  they  had  supported  the  king ;  he  oppressed  the 
Catholics,  because  he  held  them  to  be  children  of  evil. 
Charles  II  now  reestablished  the  Anglican  Church.   The 

Act  of  Uniformity  was  enforced  against  the 
Uniformity  Presbyterians,  who,  it  should  be  remembered, 
agaiSS^  had  helped  the  king  toward  the  close  of  the 
Presbyteri-  struggle.  They  suffered  a  short  but  severe  per- 
secution, because  their  clergy  refused  to  receive 
ordination  from  the  Anglican  bishops.  Many  sailed  from 
Ireland  to  New  England,  to  find  new  homes  in  the  Puri- 
tan colonies. 

194.  Catholics  again  in  disfavor.  Meanwhile,  the 
Catholics  enjoyed  a  brief  respite.    Charles  permitted  his 


i687]      CROMWELL   AND    THE    RESTORATION        211 

lords  lieutenant  to  give  them  considerable  freedom,  in 
spite  of  the  Act  of  Uniformity.  This  condition  of  things 
was  not  destined  to  last.  It  was  at  once  suspected  that 
the  king  intended  to  restore  Catholicism  throughout  his 
dominions.  The  pronounced  Catholic  views  of  the  king's 
brother  and  heir,  James,  duke  of  York,  increased  the 
partisan  feeling  in  England.  The  plot  of  Titus  Gates, 
who  spread  a  rumor  that  the  Enghsh  Catholics  had 
sought  to  murder  King  Charles,  added  fuel  to  the  flames, 
and,  though  wholly  false,  brought  the  Irish  Catholics 
into  disfavor.  One  oppressive  measure  after  another  was 
passed,  so  that  during  the  next  few  years  the  unjust 
corldition  of  the  Catholics  was  pitiful  in  the  ""s^^- 
extreme.  Arrests  were  made,  and  many  were  thrown 
into  prison,  simply  because  they  were  Catholics. 

195.  James  II  restores  Catholicism.  James  came  to 
the  throne  in  1685,  determined  to  restore  Catholicism. 
He  was,  however,  so  arbitrary  and  oppressive  that  he 
aroused  the  whole  Protestant  population  of  England 
against  him,  and  caused  a  veritable  panic  among  the 
Protestants  of  Ireland.  He  chose,  as  his  agent  in  Ire- 
land, Richard  Talbot,  an  over-zealous  Catholic,  whom  he 
made  Earl  of  Tyrconnell,  and  intrusted  with  the  com- 
mand of  the  army.  Talbot  dismissed  the  Protestant 
garrisons,  and  put  Catholics  in  their  place.  Most  of  the 
dismissed  Protestant  officers  went  to  Holland,  where 
they  enlisted  in  the  service  of  William,  prince  of 
Orange,  and,  later,  followed  his  standard  to  Tyrconneu 
England.  An  ineffective  attempt  was  made  to  ^^^^^^^ 
repeal  the  Act  of  Settlement  (see  section  189),  lieutenant, 
with  a  view  to  reinstating  the  banished  Irish  land-owners, 
and  Protestants  were  everywhere  driven  from  office,  to 
make  room  for  Catholics.  Talbot  succeeded  in  having 
himself  appointed  lord  lieutenant  in  1687. 


212  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1688 

196.  The  Revolution  of  1688.  The  oppressive  mea- 
sures to  which  James  II  resorted  in  England,  and  his 
encroachments  on  the  hberty  of  his  subjects,  brought 
about  the  Revolution  of  1688.  William,  Prince  of  Or- 
ange, the  nephew  and  son-in-law  of  King  James,  was 
invited  to  take  possession  of  the  English  throne,  an  offer 
which  he  promptly  accepted,  landing  in  Devonshire  on 
November  5,  1688.  Six  weeks  later,  James  II  fled  to 
France. 

SUMMARY 

The  execution  of  Charles  I  was  looked  upon  with  extreme 
disfavor  by  all  parties  in  Ireland  except  the  Parliamentarians, 
and  Charles  II  was  immediately  proclaimed  king.  Cromwell 
landed  in  Dublin  with  a  large  army  on  August  14,  1649,  ^^" 
termined  to  subdue  the  country.  He  captured  Drogheda 
and  Wexford  and  devastated  Munster,  carrying  terror  among 
the  natives  wherever  he  went,  on  account  of  his  extreme 
cruelty.  By  May,  165 1,  Ireland  was  virtually  subdued,  and 
Cromwell  returned  to  England,  leaving  Ireton  in  command. 
Ireton  captured  Limerick,  165 1,  and  Galway  surrendered  to 
Coote,  1652.  Fleetwood's  "  High  Court  of  Justice  "  was 
now  instituted,  and  under  its  decrees  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill  and 
many  others  were  tried  and  executed. 

Between  1652  and  1654,  nearly  the  whole  of  Ireland  was 
confiscated.  It  was  a  period  of  great  suffering  for  the  Catho- 
lics. Charles  II  was  formally  restored  to  the  throne  in  1660. 
The  "  Court  of  Claims  "  organized  a  new  division  of  land  in 
Ireland  in  favor  of  the  Protestants,  and  the  Anglican  Church 
rule  was  restored.  With  the  accession  of  James  II,  in  1685, 
the  Catholics  regained  their  privileges.  But  James's  tyrannical 
measures  brought  him  into  great  disfavor  in  England,  and  he 
was  forced  to  flee  to  France,  leaving  his  throne  to  William, 
Prince  of  Orange. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

THE  JACOBITE   WARS 

1688-1691 

English  Sovereigns  :  William  and  Mary,  1688-1702 

197.  Attitude  of   the  Irish   toward  William.    The 

appointment  of  Tyrconnell  as  lord  lieutenant  had  filled 
the  Protestants  of  Ireland  with  apprehensions,  which  were 
allayed  by  the  news  that  William  of  Orange  had  reached 
England.  His  claim  to  the  throne  came  through  his 
descent  from  Charles  I,  and  his  marriage  with  Mary, 
daughter  of  James  II.  Protestant  anxiety  was  again 
aroused  by  the  tidings  that  James  had  fled  to  France. 
It  was  feared  that  he  would  return  with  a  foreign  army, 
and  wild  rumors  of  uprisings  and  impending  massacres 
spread  from  one  garrison  to  another.  In  Eng-  very 
land,  and  among  the  Protestant  settlers  of  Ire-  ^°suie. 
land  William  was  hailed  as  a  deliverer  ;  but  the  Irish 
CathoHcs,  in  spite  of  all  they  had  already  suffered  from 
the  Stuarts,  took  the  side  of  James.  Consequently  Wil- 
liam, received  with  open  arms  in  England,  had  to  fight 
for  every  inch  of  ground  in  Ireland,  before  his  position 
was  secure. 

198.  Ulster  a  Protestant  centre.  Tyrconnell  headed 
the  adherents  of  the  Stuarts  in  Ireland,  to  whom  the 
name  of  Jacobite  was  now  given,  from  Jacobus,   The 

the  Latin  form  of  James.     Realizing  the  condi-  Jacowtes. 
tion  of  affairs  in  England,  Tyrconnell  immediately  did  all 


214  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1688 

in  his  power  to  strengthen  the  position  of  King  James  in 
every  part  of  Ireland.  He  met  with  no  obstacles,  except 
in  Ulster,  which,  owing  to  the  large  numbers  of  Scottish 
and  English  settlers,  was  strongly  Protestant,  especially 
in  the  cities.  Some  of  these,  Derry  and  Enniskillen 
among  them,  refused  to  recognize  the  authority  of  Tyr- 
connell  as  lieutenant  of  James,  holding  that  the  latter 
had  already  forfeited  his  crown.  Derry  was  a  small  town 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Foyle,  but  it  was  a  strong  fortress, 
owing  to  the  sturdy  surrounding  wall,  which  is  intact 
to-day.  From  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  Derry  could 
be  reached  only  by  boat.  A  forged  letter,  telling  of  a 
coming  massacre  by  the  Catholics,  and  the  rumored 
Excitement  approach  of  one  of  the  Jacobite  leaders,  so 
In  Derry.  aroused  the  citizens  of  Derry,  that,  in  spite  of 
the  governor,  they  shut  the  gates,  and  defied  the  author- 
ity of  the  lord  lieutenant.  A  few  days  passed,  with 
neither  uprising  nor  attack.  The  inhabitants,  somewhat 
reassured,  consented  to  admit  two  companies  of  the 
Jacobite  army  as  a  garrison,  provided  that  these  sol- 
diers should  all  be  Protestants.  Colonel  Lundy  com- 
manded this  new  garrison,  and  was  made  governor  of 
the  city. 

Tyrconnell's  actions  again  aroused  the  suspicions 
which  were  beginning  to  be  allayed.  He  daily  removed 
Protestants  from  his  army,  and  filled  their  places  with 
Catholics.  Reports  also  began  to  come  from  England 
of  William's  growing  power,  and  these  encouraged  the 
Protestants  of  Ireland  to  take  sides  openly  against  the 
Stuart  king.  The  people  of  Derry,  who,  up  to  this  time, 
Derry  had  kept  the  gates  of  the  city  closed  in  fear 

auegiancl  ^^  massacre  by  the  Catholics,  now  declared  for 
to  William.  William  and  Mary,  as  sovereigns  of  Great  Brit- 
ain  and   Ireland.     Confusion   reigned  within  the  town. 


1689]  THE   JACOBITE    WARS  21 5 

Lundy  and  others,  who  were  inclined  to  recognize  the 
authority  of  James,  were  forced  to  take  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  William  and  Mary. 

199.  James  comes  to  Ireland.  James  had  waited  in 
France,  at  the  court  of  Louis  XIV,  trying  to  gather  cour- 
age and  money,  until  he  was  thoroughly  assured  of  Cath- 
olic support  in  Ireland.  Now  with  a  small  French  force, 
and  a  number  of  Irish  exiles,  chief  among  whom  was 
Sarsfield,  he  landed  at  Kinsale  in  Cork  on  March  12,  1689. 
Twelve  days  later.  Lord  and  Lady  Tyrconnell  welcomed 
him  to  Dublin.  In  spite  of  the  bitterness  of  the  sea- 
son, he  immediately  led  his  army  north  toward  Derry, 
where  he  expected  to  be  received  with  open  _  ^ 

^  .  ^         His  hostile 

arms.     He   was    astonished    beyond    measure  reception 
when  the  citizens  began  to  fire  on  him  from   *    ^^^' 
the  walls.     Within  the   town  everything  possible   was 
done  to  strengthen  the  fortifications.     Protestant  fugi- 
tives arrived  daily  from  all  sides  seeking  refuge. 

After  his  cold  reception  at  Derry,  James  withdrew  to 
Dublin,  and  assembled  a  parliament  there,  leaving  the 
siege  of  Derry  in  the  hands  of  two  of  his  gen-  james 
erals.  The  parliament  spent  months  in  empty  pJrn^ment* 
talk,  since  the  few  acts  it  passed  were  never  at  Dublin. 
enforced.  It  attempted  to  secure  religious  toleration  for 
all  denominations,  and  to  repeal  the  Act  of  Settlement 
(section  189),  at  the  same  time  providing  for  the  com- 
pensation of  the  Protestant  land-holders,  who  would  be 
dispossessed  by  the  repeal  of  the  act.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  lands  of  William's  adherents  were  confiscated, 
and  debased  coin  was  put  into  circulation,  which,  how- 
ever, was  recalled  two  years  later. 

200.  The  siege  of  Derry.  Meanwhile,  on  April  14, 
two  ships  sent  by  William  had  reached  Derry  with  sup- 
plies and  soldiers.      Lundy  was  still  anxious    to  bring 


2l6 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1689 


about  a  surrender.  He  had  persuaded  many  of  the 
Ltmdy's  townspeople  that  the  city  could  not  stand  a 
treachery,  siege,  with  the  result  that  some  of  the  most 
capable  defenders  embarked  aboard  the  two  ships  and 
sailed  away  to  England.  Lundy  was  suspected  of  treach- 
ery and  had  to  flee.  The  garrison  now  numbered  seven 
thousand  fighting  men,  and  the  defences  were  strong, 
but  the  supply  of  provisions  was  very  small  and  the 
number  of  refugees  very  great. 

On  April  18,  1689,  the  real  siege  of  Derry,  one  of  the 
most  famous  in  Irish  or  English  history,  began.  Neither 
defenders  nor  besiegers  were  well  prepared  for 
in  the  two  their  work.  The  town  was  ill'  supplied  with  food, 
its  leaders  inexperienced ;  while  the  army  of 
James,  which  lacked  ammunition  and  military  supplies, 
was  scattered  and  undisciplined.    The  Jacobite  leaders 

expected  the  town  to 
surrender  after  the 
first  real  assault,  but 
the  courage  and  deter- 
mination of  the  be- 
sieged garrison  grew 
daily.  Breaches  were 
repaired  as  fast  as  they 
were  made.  Women 
and  men  worked  to- 
gether, full  of  religious 
enthusiasm.  In  a  sally 
made  on  April  2r,  one  of  the  two  Jacobite  generals  was 
killed,  but  the  party  which  made  the  sortie  was  forced 
to  retire  after  losing  heavily. 

During  the  next  two  months,  fighting  went  on  with 
varying  success  and  great  bloodshed.  There  was  a  fort 
on  Windmill  Hill,  near  the  south  gate  of  the  town,  and 


THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  LONDONDERRY 

This  picture  from  a  contemporary  map  shows  the 

condition  at  the  time  of  the  siege 


1689]  THE   JACOBITE   WARS  21/ 

Hamilton,  now  the  chief  leader  of  the  besiegers,  tried 
to  capture  it.  But  the  defenders  kept  up  a  steady  mus- 
ket fire,  killinoc  every  man  who  tried  to  reach   „^ 

'  *  ^  The  assault 

the  fort.  The  Jacobite  soldiers  were  brave,  and  on  wind- 
pushed  on,  in  spite  of  the  hail  of  bullets,  but  it 
was  not  within  their  power  to  take  the  fort  or  reach 
the  town.  The  fight  for  Windmill  Hill  was  the  fiercest 
contest  of  the  siege.  The  Irish  attacking  party  lost  four 
hundred  men,  and  their  leader,  who  was  taken  prisoner. 
Starvation  was  meanwhile  doing  its  work  within  the 
town,  and  Hamilton  resolved  to  depend  on  this  ally. 

When  the  defenders  were  already  feeling  the  pangs  of 
hunger,  thirty  ships  were  seen  sailing  up  Lough  Foyle. 
They  were  the  help  promised  by  William.  But  their 
commander  was  intimidated  by  the  line  of  Jacobite  forts 
that  separated  him  from  the  city,  and  anchored  wiiuam's 
at  some  distance  from  the  town,   but  within   ships  sau 

up  the 

sight  of  the  heroic  defenders.  The  wonderful  lough. 
courage  displayed  by  the  men  of  Derry  in  this  terrible 
trial  has  been  described  by  eye-witnesses  as  passing 
belief.  In  order  to  prevent  the  approach  of  the  relief 
ships,  Hamilton  ordered  a  boom  of  cables  and  logs  to  be 
stretched  across  the  river,  two  miles  below  the  town. 

By  the  end  of  June,  King  James,  losing  patience,  sent 
Marshal  Rosen  with  orders  to  proceed  to  extremes. 
Rosen  conceived  a  shameful  plan,  which  was  not  ap- 
proved either  by  James  or  by  the  Irish  Jacobites.  He 
sent  out  soldiers,  with  orders  to  gather  about  a  thousand 
of  the  poorer  Protestant  settlers,  men,  women,  Rosen's 
and  children,  from  the  neighboring  regions,  "^®^^y- 
and  ordered  them  to  be  driven  into  the  open  space  be- 
tween the  besieging  army  and  the  city  walls.  Then  he 
sent  a  messenger  to  the  people  of  Derry,  announcing 
that  the  defenceless   settlers  would   be  kept  there,   to 


2l8 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1689 


sen, 


The  Deny 

men's 

reply. 


THE    TOWN-HOUSE   AT    LONDON- 
DERRY 

This  building  was  erected  in  1620  for 
military  as  well  as  civil  purposes,  and 
was  destroyed  during  the  siege. 


Starve  beneath  the  walls,   unless  the  city  surrendered. 
This  fiendish  device  failed.     The  victims  exhorted  the 
defenders  to  stand  firm,  and  instant  death  was  proclaimed 
for  any  one  uttering  the  word 
."  surrender."     In    answer    to 
Rosen's  threat,   a  large  scaf- 
fold  was  erected  in  sight  of 
the    Jacobite   army,  and   the 
prisoners    taken     from     that 
army  were  gathered  beside  it. 
Word  wa€   then  sent  to   Ro- 
that,   unless  the  settlers 

were     released,    the 

Jacobite      prisoners 

would  all  be  hanged 
on  the  next  morning.  Among 
the  prisoners  were  many  officers,  who  wrote  to  Hamil- 
ton to  use  his  influence  with  Rosen.  The  French  com- 
mander was  afraid  to  put  his  evil  plan  into  execution, 
and  released  the  settlers,  a  number  of  whom  had  already 
perished. 

Meanwhile  starvation  was  doing  its  work.  Horseflesh 
was  sold  at  exorbitant  prices  within  the  walls,  and  the 
ships  still  failed  to  come  to  the  relief  of  the  city.    Finally, 

when  the  defenders  were  at  the  end  of  their 

resources,  the  commander  of  the  fleet  made  an 
attempt  to  reach  the  town,  and,  on  July  28,  three  of  his 
ships  sailed  up  the  Foyle,  broke  the  boom,  and  reached 
the  water-front  of  the  city,  in  spite  of  the  heavy  fire  of 
the  land  batteries.  Hamilton,  seeing  that  all  danger 
of  famine  was  over,  and  that  the  garrison  was  strength- 
ened, gave  up  the  siege  July  31,  and  withdrew  his  army. 
The  town  was  saved  after  a  memorable  siege  of  a  hun- 
dred and  five  days. 


ReUef. 


i689]  THE   JACOBITE   WARS  219 

201.  Battle  of  Enniskillen.  Enniskillen,  on  an  island 
in  Lough  Erne,  and  protected  by  a  strong  castle,  had, 
Hke  Derry,  refused  to  recognize  the  authority  of  Tyrcon- 
nell,  and  James  had  sent  a  small  force  against  it.  The 
colonists  bravely  defended  themselves,  and  jacowtes 
the  expedition  ended  in  a  shameful  rout  rather  routed. 
than  a  battle,  for  the  Jacobites  seem  hardly  to  have 
struck  a  blow.  This  contest  took  place  July  30,  the 
day  before  the  relief  of  Derry.  A  second  stronghold  was 
thus  in  the  hands  of  William's  adherents,  and  with  Derry 
formed  a  base  of  operations  against  the  Jacobite  forces. 

202.  Schomberg  takes  Carrickfergus.  The  siege  of 
Derry  was  only  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  for  Ireland 
between  William  and  James.  William's  position  in  Eng- 
land was  now  quite  secure,  and  a  month  after  Hamilton 
retired  from  Derry,  William  sent  the  Duke  of  Schom- 
berg to  Ireland  with  fifteen  thousand  men.  This  army 
landed  near  Bangor,  on  the  south  shore  of  Belfast 
Lough.  Schomberg  refused  to  negotiate  with  the  Jaco- 
bite garrisons  gathered  at  Carrickfergus,  and  at  once  laid 
siege  to  the  town,  which  surrendered  after  a  week,  in 
August,  1689.  The  garrison  was  allowed  to  depart  with 
arms  and  supplies. 

203.  Sickness   in   the   English   army.     Schomberg 
now  made  a  serious  mistake.     He  followed  the  retreat- 
ing Jacobites  as  far  as  Dundalk.     Here  he  encamped,  in 
a  very  unfavorable   position,   to    await    reinforcements. 
These  were  a  long  time  coming,  as  William  was  short  of 
funds.     Schomberg's  camp  was  in  the  midst  of  marshy 
ground,  and  disease  soon  broke  out  among  his 
soldiers.     Meanwhile  James  was  threatening  an   die  by 
attack  from  the  south,  so  that  Schomberg  was      °^^^  *" 
forced  to  fortify  his  camp.     Sickness  spread,  until  eight 
thousand  of  William's  men  died  in  this  way  in  winter 


220  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1690 

quarters.  Schomberg,  who  was  over  eighty  years  of  age, 
was  untiring  in  his  effort  to  reUeve  his  troops,  but  the 
mischief  was  already  done. 

204.  Arrival  of  William.  Schomberg  opened  the 
spring  campaign  by  taking  Fort  Charlemont  on  the 
northern  Blackwater,  the  only  place  that  still  held  out 
for  James  in  the  north.  On  June  14,  1690,  King  Wil- 
ms foreign  ^^^^  came  to  Ireland  to  lead  his  army  in  person, 
troops.  His  troops  were  largely  made  up  of  continental 
veterans,  excellent  soldiers  from  Holland,  Denmark, 
Sweden,  and  Prussia,  and  in  his  train  were  Prince  George 
of  Denmark  and  the  Duke  of  Ormond.  One  of  his  first 
acts  was  to  pension  the  Nonconformist  ministers  in 
Ulster  who  had  been  foremost  in  upholding  his  cause. 

205.  Battle  of  the  Boyne,  July  1,  1690.  The  rival 
kinofs  were  now  to  meet  in  a  decisive  battle.  James,  at  the 
head  of  twenty-six  thousand  men,  poorly  drilled  and  mis- 
erably armed,  had  taken  a  position  at  the  village  of 
Oldbridge,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Boyne,  three  miles 
above  Drogheda.  William  advanced  steadily  southward 
toward  James's  army.  The  latter  was  such  an  incapable 
general  that  he  did  not  even  throw  up  trenches  to  defend 
the  ford  of  the  Boyne.  William's  army  arrived  on  June  29, 
and  encamped  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  and  on  the 
Artiuery  ^^Y  following  an  artillery  duel  was  begun  be- 
contest.  tween  the  two  armies.  Considerable  injury  was 
inflicted  on  William's  forces,  although  he  was  far  better 
supplied  with  artillery  than  was  James.  During  the  night, 
James,  already  certain  that  he  was  going  to  be  beaten, 
sent  all  but  six  of  his  guns  back  to  Dublin.  He  also  made 
preparations  for  his  own  escape,  and  then  retired  to  a 
little  church  on  the  hill  of  Donore,  where  he  could  safely 
watch  the  battle. 

When  the  battle  was  resumed  on  the  next  day,  July  I, 


1690] 


THE   JACOBITE    WARS 


221 


William's  army  numbered  between  forty-five  and  fifty 
thousand,  with  probably  four  or  five  thousand  cavalry. 
James  had  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand  men, 


WILLIAM  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  BOYNE 

with  the  same  proportion  of  horse.  By  his  own  fault,  he 
had  only  six  guns  against  about  fifty  in  William's  batter- 
ies. William's  line  of  battle  was  formed  with  Thear- 
the  infantry  in  the  centre  and  the  cavalry  on  J^le^jJ^g- 
the  wings.  He  gave  Schomberg  the  elder  nsh  forces, 
command  of  the  centre,  while  the  younger  Schomberg, 
son  of  the  old  general,  was  sent  four  or  five  miles  up  the 
river  to  Slane,  in  command  of  the  right  wing.  He  was 
to  cross  at  Slane,  and  turn  the  left  flank  of  James's 
army.  William  himself  commanded  the  cavalry  on  the 
left  wing.  Later  in  the  day  he  went  down  the  river,  and 
crossed  at  a  lower  ford.     He  was  thus  able  to  attack  his 


222  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1690 

opponents  on  the  right  flank  also.  Meanwhile  the  in- 
fantry forming  the  centre  of  his  army  advanced  under 
cover  of  a  heavy  artillery  fire  to  ford  the  Boyne. 

The  river  at  that  point  was  shallow,  and  in  the  mid- 
dle of  summer  could  be  very  easily  forded.  It  was, 
William's  therefore,  only  a  slight  protection  for  James. 
croSes  the  William's  right,  under  the  younger  Schomberg, 
river.  made  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  cross 

the  river  at  Slane,  but  it  was  repeatedly  driven  back  by 
Arthur  O'Neill's  horse.  Finally  the  way  was  cleared  by 
a  vigorous  cannonade  to  which  O'Neill  was  unable  to 
reply.  William's  right  wing  was  thus  able  to  cross  the 
Boyne. 

The  centre  of  the  English  army  now  advanced,  and 
began  to  cross  the  Boyne,  supported  by  the  artillery. 
The  Irish  troops  fought  so  well  that  Schomberg's  body- 
guard was  cut  to  pieces,  and  he  himself  was  killed.  The 
centre  of  William's  army  was  undoubtedly  being  beaten 
back,  when,  crossing  lower  down,  with  eighteen  squad- 
rons of  cavalry,  he  fiercely  attacked  the  right  flank  of 
the  Irish  army,  and  thus  turned  possible  defeat  into 
The  Irish  certain  victory.  That  the  Irish  troops,  although 
retreat.  outnumbered  two  to  one,  and  led  by  a  coward, 
fought  valiantly,  is  admitted  by  all.  They  charged  ten 
times  in  succession,  and  only  gave  way  at  the  last  under 
pressure  of  greatly  superior  numbers.  Their  main  body 
retreated  in  good  order  to  Dublin,  and  later  to  Limerick, 
in  spite  of  William's  efforts  to  intercept  them. 

James  fled  from  the  battlefield  as  soon  as  he  saw  that 

fortune  was  against  his  army.     Arriving  in  Dublin,  he 

called  a  council  of  the  Catholic  magistrates  and 

Flight  01  ^     .    .  ,      ,        ,  ^    ^    ■        -  •  r 

King  otticials,  and  declared  his  intention  of  ceasing 

James.  j^-^  opposition  to  William.  He  then  fled  with 
all  haste  to  Waterford,  burning  the  bridges  as  he  crossed 


1690]  THE   JACOBITE   WARS  223 

them  to  prevent  pursuit.  There  he  embarked  for  France, 
and  landed  at  Brest,  bringing  the  first  news  of  his  own 
defeat. 

206.  Tyrconnell's  duplicity.  Within  a  week  after  the 
battle  of  the  Boyne,  the  Irish  army  occupied  Limerick, 
and  made  preparations  to  hold  that  strong  position, 
relying  on  the  untouched  resources  of  Connaught,  and 
the  help  which  the  runaway  king  might  possibly  send 
them  by  sea.  Tyrconnell,  who  hoped  to  make  his  peace 
with  King  William,  secure  his  Irish  estates,  and  very 
possibly  be  appointed  lord  lieutenant,  was  steadily  seek- 
ing to  undermine  the  resolution  of  the  Irish  army. 

207.  Attempt  to  take  Athlone.   William  marched  on 
to  Dublin,  where  he  was  welcomed  by  the  large  English 
colony.     He  issued  a  proclamation,    granting  , 
pardon  to  all  the  Irish  soldiers  who  would  lay  prociama- 
down  their  arms.     In  this  offer  the  Catholic 
gentry   were    not    included,    owing   to   the    bigotry    of 
William's  counsellors,  who  hoped,  as  in  former  days,  to 
gain  possession  of  the  confiscated  estates. 

William  now  prepared  to  open  his  second  campaign. 
Waterford  and  Kilkenny  surrendered  by  Tyrconnell's 
orders.  The  chief  strength  of  the  Irish  now  lay  along 
the  river  Shannon.  Here  it  was  determined  to  form  a 
line  of  defence,  and,  from  the  two  strongholds,  Limerick 
and  Athlone,  to  keep  the  English  out  of  Con- 
naught.  A  section  of  William's  army,  number-  retire  before 
^       1         ^u  J  \    .      .   ■>        Sarsfield. 

mg  twelve  thousand  men,  was    sent   to  take 
Athlone,  which  was  valiantly  defended  for  seven  days, 
when  Sarsfield's  approach  compelled  the  English  to  with- 
draw, as  he  threatened  their  line  of  supplies.     Athlone 
was  none  the  worse  for  this  attack. 


224  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1690 

SUMMARY 

With  the  exception  of  Ulster,  all  Ireland  declared  alle- 
giance to  James,  and  looked  upon  William  as  a  usurper. 
Derry  and  Enniskillen,  two  of  the  principal  strongholds  in 
Ulster,  were  active  Protestant  centres,  and  promptly  pro- 
claimed their  allegiance  to  William.  James  landed  at  Kin- 
sale  on  March  12,  1689,  and  immediately  marched  against 
Derry.  The  siege  that  followed  is  the  most  famous  in  Irish 
history.  After  a  hundred  and  five  days  of  heroic  defence  and 
extreme  suffering,  the  city  was  relieved  on  July  30,  1689. 
The  Protestants  won  the  battle  of  Enniskillen  and  captured 
Carrickfergus.  During  the  winter  of  1689-90  the  English, 
under  Schomberg,  suffered  severe  losses  through  sickness. 
In  the  spring  William  came  himself  to  Ireland  and  defeated 
James  in  the  decisive  battle  of  the  Boyne,  July  i,  1690.  James 
fled  to  France. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

TREATY   OF   LIMERICK 

1690-1693 

English  Sovereigns  :  William  and  Mary,  1688-1702 

208.  First  siege  of  Limerick.    King  William  arrived 
before  Limerick  on  August  9,  1690,  and  began  to  pre- 
pare for  a  long  siege.    The  French  general,  Lauzun,  and 
the  Earl  of  Tyrconnell,  who  were  in  command  of  the  gar- 
rison, at  once  proposed  to  surrender,  but  were  opposed 
by  Sarsfield,  who  did  not  share  their  view  that  Limerick 
was  incapable  of  defence.    Lauzun  and  Tyrcon-  Departure 
nell  retired  to  Galway  with  all  the  French  troops  Yxlnch. 
and  a  great  deal  of  much-needed  ammunition,   troops, 
and  Limerick  was  left  with  about  twenty-five  thousand 
Irish  defenders,  who  determined,  if  need  be,  to  emulate 
the  heroism  of  Derry.    They  met  William's  summons  to 
surrender  with  a  refusal,   and  made  vigorous   prepara- 
tions for  defence,  while  a  party  under  Sarsfield  cut  off 
one  of  William's  convoys  from  Dublin,  destroy-  garsfieid 

ing  the  siege  guns,  which  were  being  brought   captures 

^  *      ^  .  &  &         William's 

for  the  attack  on  the  city.    Although  the  Eng-  baggage 

lish  had  been  short  of  guns  and  ammunition, 

they  had  begun  operations  when  news  of  the  loss  of  the 

siege  guns  reached  them.     Discouraged,  they  suspended 

the  attack  for  a  week,  during  which  the  defenders  were 

able  to  strengthen  the  walls  and  add  to  the  defences. 

Unfortunately,  Sarsfield  was  not  able  to  bring  back  the 


226  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1690 

cannons  and  powder  he  had  captured,  so  he  exploded 
the  powder,  and'*  contented  himself  with  taking  the 
horses. 

Limerick  was  the  second  city  in  Ireland,  Dublin  alone 
being  more  important.    As  was  the  case  with  many  Irish 


PATRICK    SARSFIELD 


cities,  it  had  an  Irish  and  an  English  quarter.  The  Eng- 
lish part  was  built  on  an  island  in  the  Shannon,  and  con- 
tained the  cathedral  and  castle,  while  the  Irish  quarter 
was  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  and  was  connected 
with  the  other  quarter  by  a  bridge.  High  walls  sur- 
rounded the  entire  town,  from  which  the  defenders  fired 
upon  the  assailants  in  the  trenches.  Frequent  sorties 
were  made,  during  which  every  foot  of  ground 
ment  was  fiercely  contested.     William's  guns  demol- 

®^^"         ished  the  high  towers,  and   also  covered  the 
operations  of  the  men  in  the  trenches.    He  then  concen- 


1690]  TREATY    OF    LIMERICK  22/ 

trated  all  his  force  on  one  point,  hoping  to  make  a 
breach.  Combustibles  were  hurled  on  the  roofs  of  the 
houses,  so  that  the  city  caught  fire  in  several  directions. 
The  town  was  connected  by  a  bridge  with  the  Clare 
side  of  the  Shannon,  and  across  this  bridge  the  women 
and  children  were  sent  into  safety. 

Finally  a  breach  was  made  in  the  wall,  and  William 
determined  to  enter  by  assault.  On  the  afternoon  of 
August  27,  he  ordered  a  detachment  of  five  hundred 
grenadiers,  followed  by  ten  thousand  foot-soldiers  and 
horse,  to  prepare  for  the  attack.  When  the  signal  was 
given  a  rush  was  made  from  the  trenches  to-  Assault 
ward  the  breach.  The  assailants  were  stunned  ™^^®- 
by  a  hail  of  bullets  and  shot,  but  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  opening  in  the  wall,  and  forcing  their  way  inside. 
Here  they  ran  into  a  rude  rampart  of  earth,  from  the 
top  of  which  cannon-balls  and  bullets  rained  down  on 
them.  Retreat  was  out  of  the  question,  so  the  English 
pushed  forward  in  spite  of  the  cannon  which  mowed 
them  down  at  every  step,  while  the  Irish  steadily  re- 
treated. The  townspeople,  seeing  the  defenders  thus 
falling  back,  joined  in  the  conflict  with  whatever  weapons 
they  could  lay  hands  on. 

Chief  among  William's  foreign  troops  were  the  Prus- 
sians, who  distinguished  themselves  by  conspicuous  dar- 
ing.    They  had  entered  the  city  with  the  rest, 

^  -'  ■'  '    Bravery 

and  centred  their  attack  on  the  Black  Battery,   of  the 

which  they  took  after  a  bloody  fight.     Owing  ^^^^s^*^*- 

to  carelessness  the  powder-vaults  exploded,  and  men  and 

battery  were  blown  to  pieces.     Steady  fighting  had  been 

going  on    for  four   hours,  without  any  great    headway 

being  made,  when  the   English   lost  courage,   TheEng- 

and  began  to  withdraw.    Suddenly  they  rushed  ush retreat. 

in  a  panic  back  through  the  breach,  leaving  two  thou- 


228  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1690 

sand  of  their  bravest  dead  inside  the  wall.    The  losses  of 
the  Irish  were  comparatively  small. 

In  this  unsuccessful  attack,  King  William  had  seen 
some  of  his  best  troops  slaughtered.  Besides,  the  wet 
William  nionths  were  approaching,  with  their  threat  of 
returns  to  sickness.  Thoroughly  disgusted,  he  decided  to 
"^  ^  "  give  up  the  siege,  and  withdrew  to  Waterford, 
whence  he  sailed  for  England,  leaving  the  conduct  of  the 
Irish  war  in  the  hands  of  his  generals. 

209.   Capture  of  Cork  and  Kinsale.    When  William 

embarked  for  England  on   September   5,  1690,  he  left 

Ginkel  and   Count   Solmes,   two  of   his  most 

Severe 

losses  for      competent  generals,  in  command,  with  orders 

to  lead  an  expedition  against  Cork  and  Kinsale, 
two  towns  which  afforded  the  Irish  easy  communication 
with  France.  Reinforcements  arrived  to  aid  Ginkel,  and 
both  towns  surrendered  after  short  but  severe  sieges,  and 
their  garrisons  were  taken  prisoners.  With  the  capture 
of  Cork  and  Kinsale,  the  Irish  lost  much  more  than 
had  been  gained  by  the  successful  defence  of  Limerick. 
These  two  cities  surrendered  in  the  end  of  September, 
and  nothing  more  was  accomplished  that  year. 

Tyrconnell  had  meanwhile  followed  his  runaway  king 
to  France,  and  was  entangled  in  plots  and  counterplots, 
the  one  clear  principle  of  which  was  the  future  advance- 
ment of  Tyrconnell.  Louis  XIV,  who  had  reasons  of 
his  own  for  wishing  to  keep  William's  army  locked  up 
in  Ireland,  was  altogether  willing  to  advise  and  help  a 
continuance  of  hostilities  in  that  country.  James  seems 
to  have  recognized  his  own  incapacity  too  clearly  to 
attempt  anything  definite,  or,  as  is  more  probable,  was 
too  irresolute  by  nature  even  to  decide  to  give  up  the 
fight.  The  Irish  army  was  thoroughly  determined  to 
fight  to  the  end. 


1691] 


TREATY   OF   LIMERICK 


229 


210.  Disorder  in  both  armies.  During  the  next  few 
months,  desultory  fighting  went  on  in  various  parts  of 
Ireland.  The  armies  were  partly  disbanded,  and  partly 
in  winter  quarters.  Some  of  the  disbanded  Irish  formed 
themselves  into  roving  bands  under  the  name  "Rap- 
of  '' Rapparees,"  and  roamed  about  commit-  P^^es." 
ting  acts  of  plunder  and  outrage.  They  burned  villages, 
and  killed  the  inhabitants,   especially   English  settlers 


RICHARD    TALBOT,    EARL    AND    DUKE    OF    TVRCONNELL 
From  a  contemporary  portrait 

and  Protestants.  General  Ginkel  did  what  he  could 
to  check  these  depredations,  but  was  not  able  to  effect 
much. 

211.  Aid  from  France  proves  disappointing.   In  Janu- 
ary, 1 69 1,  Tyrconnell,  the  deserter  of  Limerick,  returned 


230  IREfcAND'S   STORY  [1691 

from  France,  '*  but  he  brought  with  him  no  soldiers,  very 
few  arms,  little  provision,  and  no  money,"  at  least  not 
enough  to  pay  the  Irish  troops.  Besides,  he  was  daily 
becoming  more  unpopular  with  the  soldiers,  because  he 
steadily  advised  submission  to  William.  A  month  later, 
a  message  came  direct  to  Sarsfield,  then  with  the  army 
Evidence  at  Galway,  promising  reinforcements  under  the 
comSi's  renowned  French  soldier,  General  Saint  Ruth, 
duplicity.  This  letter  to  a  great  extent  revealed  the  double 
part  Tyrconnell  had  been  playing  at  the  French  court, 
and  did  much  to  undermine  his  credit  with  the  Irish 
officers. 

The  French  fleet  finally  arrived  at  Limerick  in  May, 
1691,  under  Saint  Ruth,  and  brought  a  considerable 
Arrival  of  quantity  of  provisions  for  the  Irish  troops  ;  but 
Saint  Ruth,  [i  [^  doubtful  whether  this  arrival  added  any 
real  strength  to  the  Irish  army.  Saint  Ruth,  who  was 
a  conceited,  overbearing  man,  was  placed  in  command 
over  Sarsfield,  a  bad  arrangement,  since  the  Irish  gen- 
eral was  as  good  a  soldier,  much  more  familiar  with  the 
country,  and  very  popular  with  the  soldiers. 

212.  Ginkel  captures  Athlone.  Notwithstanding  his 
inferior  numbers,  Ginkel  now  marched  against  Athlone, 
opening  the  way  by  the  capture  of  Fort  Ballymore,  in 
West  Meath.  Athlone  was  almost  as  important  as  Lim- 
erick. The  Irish  army  there  was  encamped  on  a  strip 
of  land  two  miles  from  the  Shannon.  On  June  19,  1691, 
„    „  ^        Ginkel  manasjed  to  take  the  English   part  of 

English  °  .  , 

quarter  the  town  before  Saint  Ruth  arrived  with  help, 
captured.      ^^  ^^^^  ^^^  j^^^^^  p^^  ^^j  ^j^  efforts  into  the 

defence  of  the  Irish  quarter,  and,  with  this  intention, 
had  earthworks  thrown  up  along  the  river-banks.  The 
English  cannon  soon  made  short  work  of  these,  as  well 
as  of  the  castle  walls.     Ginkel  then  attempted  to  cross 


1691]  TREATY   OF   LIMERICK  231 

the  bridge  into  Connaught,  and  for  several  days  his  pas- 
sage was  fiercely  contested.  The  Irish  broke  down  one 
arch  of  the  bridge,  but,  under  the  protection  of  his  bat- 
teries, Ginkel  succeeded  in  having  planks  thrown  across 
the  opening.  This  was  no  sooner  accomplished  Daring  of 
than  a  sergeant,  at  the  head  of  ten  Irishmen,  *^®  I'^is^- 
rushed  to  the  bridge,  under  a  deadly  fire,  and  dislodged 


CASTLE    OF   ATHLONE 

Representing  the  castle  about  1830.     This  castle  was  built  by 

the  early  Norman  invaders 

the  planks.  This  brave  act  was  repeated  several  times, 
until  the  English  commander  saw  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  force  the  bridge. 

Cannonading  had  been  going  on  for  ten  days,  but  the 
town  was  still  as  firm  as  ever.  Ginkel  was  completely 
discouraged,  and  wished  to  discontinue  his  attack,  but 
his  council  of  war  advised  him  to  make  one  more  at- 
tempt. A  short  distance  below  the  bridge  was  a  ford, 
just  passable  in  dry  weather,  and  only  wide  enough  for 
twenty  to  cross  abreast.  The  footing  was  insecure,  and 
in  some  places  the  water  reached  the  necks  of  the  sol- 


232  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1691 

diers.  Across  this  ford  two  thousand  of  Ginkel's  men 
made  their  way  in  the  face  of  the  Irish  batteries.  Saint 
Ruth  had  been  warned  of  this  move  by  a  deserter ;  but 
he  did  nothing  beyond  sending  two  of  his  weakest  regi- 
ments to  guard  the  ford.  He  absolutely  refused  to  con- 
saint  ^^^^  ^^^  Irish  chiefs,  or  to  inform  them  of  his 

Ruth's         plans.     The    result   was    that,    when    Ginkel's 

culpable 

careless-  men  had  crossed  the  ford,  Athlone  was  taken 
°®^^"  in  half  an  hour,  while  the  Irish  army  was  rest- 

ing in  camp  (June  30,  1691).  The  garrison,  which  con- 
sisted of  five  hundred  men,  surrendered.  Twelve  hundred 
of  the  defenders  had  fallen  during  the  siege. 

Ginkel  for  the  third  time  proclaimed  that  the  king 
would  pardon  all  who  laid  down  their  arms,  and,  in  spite 
Efforts         ^^  ^^^  opposition  of  fortune-hunters,  this  pro- 

to  end  clamation  was  immediately  indorsed  by  the  civil 

the  war 

government  at  Dublin.  Saint  Ruth  did  all  he 
could  to  keep  his  soldiers  from  submitting.  He  was 
thoroughly  alarmed  at  the  result  of  his  neglect  at  Ath-^ 
lone  and  fearful  lest  he  might  incur  the  displeasure  of 
unsuc-  his  king,  Louis  XIV.  He  therefore  determined 
cessfui.  ^Q  ^g^j^g  i^Q  l^j-gj-  opportunity  to  win  a  battle. 
The  taking  of  Athlone  left  the  road  to  Galway  open,  and 
Ginkel  prepared  to  advance  on  that  place,  as  the  chief 
stronghold  of  Connaught,  the  last  unsubdued  province. 
Saint  Ruth  prepared  to  resist  Ginkel's  approach,  and  re- 
tired to  the  village  of  Aughrim,  "  the  hill  of  the  horses," 
where  he  selected  an  excellent  position. 

213.  Battle  of  Aughrim.  Saint  Ruth  drew  up  his 
army  along  a  hilly  ridge,  at  the  foot  of  which  a  wide 
marsh  protected  his  front.  There  were  only  two  nar- 
row paths  across  the  marsh.  The  Irish  army,  composed 
of  about  ten  thousand  foot,  two  thousand  men  at  arms, 
and  two  thousand  horse,    was  drawn   up  in  two  lines, 


1691]  TREATY    OF    LIMERICK  233 

with  Sarsfield  in  command  of  the  cavalry  some  distance 
away.     Ginkel  appeared   on  July   12,  and  ap-  ,.j^. 
proached  near  enough  to  use  his  guns,  hoping  tteadvan- 
by  that  means  to  force  Saint  Ruth  from  his  ad-    *^®" 
vantageous  position  on  the  hill.     But  the  Irish,  encour- 
aged by  the  presence  and  generalship  of  Saint  Ruth, 
kept  their  ground,  and  beat  the  English  as  often  as  they 
advanced.     The  fight  lasted  from  noon  till  sunset,  the 
Irish  steadily  gaining,  and  Saint  Ruth  was  on  the  point 
of  making  the  victory  complete  by  a  cavalry  charge  when 
an  unlucky  shot  killed  him.     The  loss  of  their  saint  Ruth 
leader  caused  a  sudden  panic  among  the  Irish,  ^'^®*" 
and  Ginkel,  observing  the  disorder,  commanded  his  army 
to  advance.     The  Irish  cavalry,  discouraged,   fell  back, 
while  the  infantry  continued  fighting  till  they  ^jjgujgjj 
were  surrounded  by  the  whole  of  the  English  break  and 
army,  so  that  nearly  all  of  them  were  cut  off 
from  escape.      Had  Saint  Ruth  not  refused  to  confide 
his  plans  to  Sarsfield,  the  latter  might  have  filled  his 
place  and  saved  the  day  for  the  Irish. 

214.  Surrender  of  Galway  and  Sligo.  Ginkel's  sol- 
diers slept  that  night  on  the  battlefield.  A  few  days 
later,  they  reached  Galway,  which  surrendered  July  21, 
on  very  favorable  terms.  The  garrison  was  permitted  to 
withdraw,  and  the  inhabitants  left  in  enjoyment  of  all 
their  rights.  Sligo  surrendered,  and  received  the  same 
treatment.  The  garrisons  of  these  two  towns,  thus  per- 
mitted to  depart,  went  south  to  swell  the  defence  of 
Limerick. 

216.  The  second  siege  of  Limerick.  The  war  was 
now  drawing  to  a  close.  Limerick  was  almost  the  only 
stronghold  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Jacobites.  Sarsfield 
was  in  command,  as  Tyrconnell  had  died  during  the 
autumn.     Ginkel  now  turned  his  attention  to  this  for- 


234 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1691 


tress  and  appeared  before  the  city  with  his  army  on 
August  30,  1 69 1,  just  a  year  after  the  first  siege.  Ginkel 
took  the  precaution  to  post  vessels  at  various  points 
along  the  river,  to  prevent  the  coming  of  suppUes.  He 
then  placed  his  cannon  and  mortars  in  position,  and 
began  a  bombardment  which  continued  night  and  day 
without  intermission,  until  the  city  was  reduced  almost 
to  ashes.  In  order  to  reach  the  Clare  side,  Ginkel  built 
a  bridge  of  boats  across  the  Shannon.  Over 
this  he  sent  a  detachment,  which  repulsed  the 
Irish  and  cut  the  cavalry  off  from  the  town.  On  Sep- 
tember 24,  Limerick  asked  for  a  truce. 

216.  End  of  the  war.    The  winter  months  were  ap- 
proaching, Ginkel's  forces  were  exhausted,  and  William's 


Bridge  of 
1)oats. 


LIMERICK    TO-DAY 

Showing  the  Thomond  bridge,  castle,  and  cathedral  tower.     It  is  interesting  to  compare 

this  with  the  picture  in  Charles  Il's  time  on  page  205 

position  in  England  was  not  as  firm  as  might  have  been 
wished.  It  was  clearly  advisable  to  end  the  struggle,  if 
possible,  on  reasonable  terms.     The  Irish,  on  their  side, 


1691]  TREATY    OF    LIMERICK  235 

realizing  that  they  could  not  hold  out  much  longer  with- 
out help  from  abroad,  which  they  had  small  prospect 
of  receiving,  also  wished  to  end  the  war.  Accordingly, 
on  October  3,  1691,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  which 
brought  the  war  to  a  close.  Ginkel  and  the  English 
lords  justices  signed  for  the  English,  while  Sarsfield, 
now  earl  of  Lucan,  and  others,  represented  the  Irish. 

This  treaty,  known  as  the  treaty  of  Limerick,  was 
shortly  after  ratified  by  King  William,  and  it  was  no 
fault  of  his  that  its  terms  were  violated.     No 

The 

sooner  had  the  Irish  agreed  to  end  the  war,  treaty  oi 
than,  contrary  to  all  their  expectations,  a  ^^™®^*'^* 
French  fleet  of  twenty  transports,  with  three  thousand 
soldiers,  two  hundred  officers,  and  ammunition  for  ten 
thousand  men,  sailed  up  the  Shannon.  Sarsfield  hon- 
orably refused  to  receive  them,  and  they  returned  to 
France. 

217.  Terms  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick.  The  treaty 
was  in  two  parts,  one  referring  to  civil  affairs,  one  to 
the  army.  It  contained  in  all  forty-two  articles.  The 
most  important  of  the  civil  regulations  referred  to  the 
Catholics  and  the  estates  of  those  who  had  fought  for 
King  James.     The  first  article  read  :  — 

"  The  Roman  Catholics  of  this  kingdom  shall  enjoy 
such  privileges  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion  as  are 
consistent  with  the  laws  of  Ireland,  or  as  they  Religious 
did  enjoy  in  the  reign  of  King  Charles  II  ;  and  "^e^ty. 
their  Majesties  King  William  and  Queen  Mary  (as  soon 
as  their  affairs  will  permit  them  to  summon  a  parliament 
in  this  kingdom)  will  endeavor  to  procure  the  said  Roman 
Catholics  such  further  security  in  that  particular  as  may 
preserve  them  from  any  disturbance  upon  the  account 
of  their  said  religion." 

Furthermore,  in  the  ninth  article,  ''  the  oath  to  be  ad- 


236  IRELAND'S   STORY  [1691 

ministered  to  such  Roman  Catholics  as  submit  to  their 
Majesties'  government  shall  be  the  oath  (of  allegiance) 
aforesaid,  and  no  other." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  during  the  reign  of  Charles 
II  the  Catholics  had  enjoyed  more  freedom  than  at  any- 
period  since  the  Reformation.  By  the  treaty  of  Limer- 
ick, those  who  had  fought  as  Jacobites  were  permitted 
to  keep  the  property  they  owned  under  Charles  II,  and 
to  follow  their  professions  and  occupations  unhindered. 

The  most  important  of  the  military  articles  provided 

that  the  garrison  should  be  allowed  to  leave  Limerick, 

and  that  all  officers  and  soldiers  should  be  free 

What  be- 
came of  the    either  to  leave  Ireland  for  some  other  country, 

so  lers.  ^^  ships  provided  by  the  government,  or  to  en- 
list in  the  armies  of  William  and  Mary.  Only  about  a 
thousand  soldiers  joined  the  English  army,  while  many 
thousands  took  service  in  foreign  lands,  distinguishing 
themselves  and  their  country  on  foreign  battlefields. 
(See  section  332.)  A  great  many,  the  famous  Sarsfield 
among  them,  went  to  France,  and  died  in  the  service 
of  the  French  king.  The  war  which  was  now  ended 
had  cost  England  immense  sums,  and  had  left  Ireland 
devastated  and  poverty-stricken. 

King  William  was  well  disposed  toward  the  people  of 
Ireland,  and  was  fully  determined  to  keep  the  terms  of 
More  land  ^^^  treaty,  but,  like  many  other  sovereigns,  he 
grants.  was  tempted  to  reward  his  followers  with  grants 
of  land.  He  made  Ginkel  earl  of  Athlone  and  gave  him 
26,000  acres  ;  while  to  others  he  gave  even  larger  es- 
tates. This  revived  the  old  contests,  as  he  could  not 
restore  and  bestow  the  land  at  the  same  time. 

218.  The  Parliament  of  1692.  Notwithstanding  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick  for  toleration  of 
Catholic  worship,  the  next  parliament,  which  was  sum- 


i693]  TREATY   OF    LIMERICK  237 

moned  by  Lord  Sydney  on  October  5,  1692,  and  which, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Dublin  Parliament  summoned 
by  James  II,  was  the  first  since  1665,  destroyed  the 
hopes  of  the  Catholics.  It  was  strongly  Protestant,  and 
in  spite  of  Sydney's  opposition  immediately  passed  an  act 
framing  an  oath  to  declare  the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic 
Church  false.  This  was  a  direct  violation  of  the  ninth 
article  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick,  which  only  required 
the  Catholics  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  raised 
no  question  of  doctrine.  The  few  Catholics  present 
rose  and  left  both  houses.  This  parliament  also  passed 
an  act  which  may  be  said  to  mark  the  beginning  of  the 
long  parliamentary  struggle  which  we  are  approaching. 
It  declared  itself  independent  of  the  English  Parliament, 
and,  on  the  strength  of  that  position,  rejected  a  finan- 
cial bill  from  England,  on  the  ground  that  it  had  not 
originated  with  the  Commons  of  Ireland.  The  parlia- 
ment was  dissolved  in  the  following  year,  1693. 

219.  Third  great  confiscation.  Now  took  place  the 
third  great  confiscation  of  lands  within  the  century.  The 
first  followed  the  Geraldine  rebellion  and  the  flight  of 
the  earls.  (See  section  152.)  The  second  was  in  Crom- 
well's time.  (See  section  187.)  The  new  distribution 
of  territory  left  only  one  seventh  of  the  whole  island  in 
the  possession  of  the  Catholics,  though  they  were  three 
times  as  numerous  as  their  Protestant  neighbors. 

SUMMARY 

King  William  opened  the  attack  on  Limerick -on  August  9, 
1690,  but  after  a  long  siege  was  forced  to  give  up  the  attempt 
to  take  the  town,  which  was  defended  most  valiantly  by  Sars- 
field  and  the  Irish.  The  king  in  disgust  returned  to  England, 
leaving  Ginkel  in  command.  Cork  and  Kinsale  surrendered 
to  Ginkel. 


238  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1691 

In  January,  1691,  Saint  Ruth  arrived  from  France.  Gin- 
kel  attacked  Athlone  and,  after  a  siege,  took  it,  owing  to  the 
carelessness  of  the  French  commander.  At  the  battle  of 
Aughrim,  July  12,  1691,  Saint  Ruth  was  killed  and  the  Irish, 
although  they  fought  bravely,  were  defeated.  The  surrender 
of  Galway  followed. 

On  August  30,  1 69 1,  Ginkel  began  the  second  siege  of 
Limerick.  The  city  was  still  undefeated  when  the  war  was 
brought  to  an  end  by  the  treaty  of  Limerick,  October  3,  1691. 
The  terms  of  this  treaty  provided  for  the  security  of  the  Cath- 
oUcs,  requiring  them  to  take  only  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Their 
estates  were  to  remain  intact.  The  Parliament  of  1692  vio- 
lated the  first  of  these  conditions,  and  another  great  confisca- 
tion of  land  followed,  making  the  fulfilment  of  the  second 
impossible. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

THE   PENAL    LAWS 

1693-1782 

English  Sovereigns  : 

William  and  Mary,  1688-1702         George  II,  1727-1760" 
Anne,  1 702-1 714  George  III,  1 760-1 820 

George  I,  1 714-1727 

220.  Violation    of   the    treaty   of    Limerick.     The 

terms  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick,  had  they  been  faithfully 
carried  out,  would  have  brought  a  measure  of  well-being 
to  Ireland,  and  opened  the  way  for  steady  improvement, 
toleration,  and  unity.  Unfortunately,  these  fair  prospects 
were  not  to  be  realized.  On  the  contrary,  Ireland  now 
entered  on  a  century  of  the  worst  oppression  in  her 
history.  From  1691  to  1782  was  a  period  of  absolute 
dependence  on  the  English  Parliament.  During  this 
time,  the  settlers,  or  rather  the  Anglican  minority,  a 
party  comprising  barely  one  third  of  the  Protestants 
in  the  kingdom,  and  not  more  than  one  eleventh  of  the 
whole  population,  were  dominant  in  the  country,  and 
directed  the  course  of  the  Irish  Parliament,  which  be- 
came  nothing:    more  than    the    instrument   of  _ 

^  Dependence 

the   Parliament  of   England.     So  long  as  the  of  the  Irish 

wishes  of  the  latter  were  carried  out  abso-  "  amen, 
lutely,  the  Irish  body  was  permitted  to  retain  its  nomi- 
nal power.  The  Catholics  were  completely  disheartened. 
Their  strongest  leaders  were  on  the  continent,  fighting 
under  foreign  standards.     At  home,  no  Catholic  could 


240  IRELAND'S   STORY  [1693 

sit  in  parliament,  hold  any  office,  or  have  any  voice  in  the 
Absolute  government.  They  were  utterly  crushed,  and 
o?ti?*^°"  sought  only  to  escape  further  injury.  Added 
CathoUcs.  to  all  this  came  the  violation  of  the  treaty  of 
Limerick  by  the  adoption  of  the  penal  laws,  which  re- 
mained in  force  for  about  three  quarters  of  a  century. 
These  laws  were  as  much  the  work  of  the  Irish  Angli- 
can party  as  of  the  English  Parliament,  if  not  more. 
The  laws,  which  were  rapidly  made,  were  slowly  re- 
pealed, as  we  shall  see,  and  not  until  1829  did  the  Act 
of  Emancipation  finally  secure  unconditional  freedom 
for  the  long-suffering  Catholics. 

There  is  much  to  be  told  before  we  finally  reach  that 
act,  however.  We  cannot  here  go  into  the  details  of 
each  separate  act  as  it  was  passed.  We  shall  simply  give 
an  outline  of  the  Penal  Code  at  its  worst,  as  it  was  dur- 
ing the  reigns  of  the  early  Georges,  when,  at  the  close 
of  each  session  of  the  Irish  Parliament,  a  resolution  was 
passed  that  '^  it  was  the  indispensable  duty  of  all  magis- 
trates and  officers  to  put  the  laws  made  to  prevent  the 
growth  of  popery  in  Ireland  in  due  execution." 

In  1693,  after  Sydney  had  dissolved  his  parliament, 
he  was  summoned  back  to  England,  and  a  new  lord 
Sydney  lieutenant  was  appointed,  who  was  willing  to 
recalled.  promise  that  the  treaty  of  Limerick  should  be 
ignored.  The  Protestants  hoped  that  he  would  permit 
no  acts  to  be  passed  which  might  prevent  their  retain- 
ing the  lands  they  had  received  through  confiscation, 

221.  Penal  laws  of  1695-97.  The  first  real  mischief 
was  done  by  the  Parliament  of  1695,  which  ignored  the 
more  important  articles  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick,  and 
only  confirmed  the  minor  articles  after  modifying  them 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  lessen  the  security  of  the  Cath- 
olics.    It  then  passed  the  following  penal  laws  :  — 


1698]  THE    PENAL   LAWS  241 

Catholics  were  strictly  forbidden  to  teach  either  in  pri- 
vate or  in  public,  and  Catholic  parents  were  not  allowed 
to  send  their  children  out  of  Ireland  to  be  educated. 
This  meant  absolute  lack  of  education  for  Catholics. 

The  Catholics  whose  lands  had  been  restored  to  them 
by  the  treaty  of  Limerick  were  again  deprived  of  them 
by  parliament,  which  gave  the  estates  to  Protestants. 

No  Catholic  was  permitted  to  own  or  carry  firearms,  and 
the  government  officials  were  authorized  to  break  into  any 
house  where  they  suspected  that  arms  were  hidden. 

No  Catholic  could  remain  secure  in  the  possession  of 
a  valuable  horse  ;  any  Protestant  could  become  its  owner, 
on  paying  the  small  sum  of  five  pounds. 

Catholic  priests  in  charge  of  parishes  were  not  to  be 

removed,  provided  they  registered  their  names,  and  gave 

promises  of  good  behavior.     They  were  then  allowed  to 

celebrate  mass,  but  might  not  have  the  assistance  of  a 

curate.     About  a  thousand  were  allowed  to  enter  their 

names.     All   the   remaininsr   servants    of    the  ^ 

^  Severity 

Catholic    Church,    whether    bishops,     regular  toward  the 

clergy,  Jesuits,  friars,  monks,  or  members  of  ^'  ^^  ^" 
one  of  the  preaching  orders,  were  ordered  to  leave  the 
country  before  May  i,  1698,  under  penalty  of  death  if 
they  returned.  Thus  it  was  proposed  to  wipe  out  the 
entire  body  of  Catholic  teachers,  as,  in  the  absence  of 
bishops,  no  further  priests  could  be  ordained.  Need- 
less to  say,  only  a  few  obeyed  the  decree.  The  rest 
remained,  as  outlaws,  it  is  true,  but  venerated  and  cher- 
ished by  the  people,  whose  faith  and  courage  they  pre- 
served, though  in  daily  danger  of  discovery  and  death. 

Many  other  vexatious  laws  were  passed,  as,  for  exam- 
ple, one-  which  required  Catholics  to  tear  down  the 
steeples  and  belfries  of  their  churches ;  and  others,  con- 
ceived in  the  same  spirit. 


242 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1698 


222.  English  Parliament  passes  laws  for  Ireland. 

The  English  ParUament  now  proceeded  to  interfere  in 
the  making  of  laws  for  Ireland.  It  passed  an  act  substi- 
tuting other  oaths  for  the  oath  of  supremacy,  with  the 
effect  that  Catholics  were  excluded  from  both  houses  of 
parliament.  The  acts  of  the  parliament  which  James  II 
had  assembled  at  Dublin  (see  section  199)  were  annulled. 
Through  the  influence  of  the  Irish  Parliament,  William 
was  prevailed  on  to  sanction  a  new  destruction  of  the 

wool  manufacture, 
and  laws  were  passed 
to  encourage  the 
growth  of  hemp  and 
flax  in  place  of  wool. 
In  1698,  such  high 
duties  were  placed  on 
exported  wool  as  to 
completely  stop  its 
exportation.  Any 
one  accused  of  evad- 
ing this  law  was  sub- 
ject to  trial  in  Eng- 
land, by  a  foreign 
jury,  though  this  was 
absolutely  contrary 
to  the  spirit  of  the 
English  constitution. 
223.  Penal  Codes 
of  1703  and  1704. 
The  Catholics  bowed 
their  heads  in  submission  to  these  outrages,  for  they 
were  too  weak  and  disheartened  to  resist.  Still,  the 
Anglican  party  was  not  satisfied,  and  in  1704,  when 
Ormond,  grandson  of  the  Ormond  of  Confederation  days 


JAMES   BUTLER,    SECOND    DUKE    OF    ORMOND 


1704]  THE    PENAL    LAWS  243 

(see   section    170),  came    over   as  lord   lieutenant,   the 
House  of  Commons  at  Dublin  immediately  petitioned 
him  to  extend  the  Penal  Code.     A  supply  of  ;£  150,000 
was  voted  to  cover  the  expenses  of  that  and  the  follow- 
ing year,  and  a  list  of  grievances  drawn  up  by 
the  new  parliament  to  present  to  Queen  Anne,   grievances 
who,  in  1702,  had  succeeded  her  brother-in-law  ^^^°"'^- 
William  on  the  English  throne.     Among   these  griev- 
ances were  the  interference  of  the  English  legislature, 
restrictions  on  trade,  the  infrequent  meetings  of  parlia- 
ment, and  other  similar  complaints. 

The  EngHsh  government  paid  no  attention  to  this 
appeal.  Instead,  the  chief  results  of  the  session  were  the 
following  new  provisions  against  Catholics  :  — 

The  eldest  son  of  a  Catholic  land-owner,  if   he  de- 
clared himself  a  Protestant,  could  straightway  Family 
oust  his  father  and  take  possession  of  his  land.   caSSkV* 
The  father  became  a  mere  life  tenant,  with  no  stricuy 

.    ,  ^  ,  .  regulated, 

rights  of  ownership. 

If  a  Catholic  child  professed  to  be  a  Protestant,  the 
law  required  the  father  to  surrender  the  child  to  a  Pro- 
testant guardian,  who  was  to  bring  him  up  at  the  father's 
expense. 

If  the  wife  of  a  Catholic  became  a  Protestant,  she 
could  claim  separate  support,  and  a  third  of  her  hus- 
band's property. 

No  Catholic  could  be  legal  guardian  of  a  child,  so  that, 
when  a  Catholic  died,  he  could  only  appoint  a  Protestant 
guardian  for  his  children. 

No  Catholic  could  buy  land  or  lease  it  for  a  longer 
period  than  thirty-one  years ;  nor  could  he  re-  cathouc 
ceive  an  estate  under  a  will.    A  Catholic  farmer  ^^^' 

owners 

was  not  permitted  to  make  a  profit  on  his  farm   oppressed, 
greater  than  one  third  of  the  rent.     A  Protestant  who 


244  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1704 

proved  that  a  greater  profit  was  being  made  could  seize 
the  land  in  question.  All  this  was  done  to  put  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  Catholics  owning  any  land  whatever. 

224.  The  Test  Act.  Of  course  it  has  not  been  for- 
gotten that  no  Catholic  could  sit  in  parliament.  As  for 
the  native  Irish,  they  were  considered  so  far  outside  and 
beneath  the  law  that  there  was  no  need  to  oppress  them 
legally.  After  1704,  no  Catholic  was  permitted  to  vote 
at  an  election  for  a  member  of  parliament,  unless  he 
took  the  oath  declaring  that  the  Catholic  doctrines  were 
false.  He  could  hold  no  civil  or  military  office  without 
taking  the  same  oath,  and  supplementing  it  by  the 
"sacramental  test,"  that  is,  receiving  the  Sacrament  on 
Enforced  Sunday  in  some  Protestant  place  of  worship, 
NMicon-^  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Anglican  Church, 
lormists.  f  j^jg  ^ct,  which  was  known  as  the  Test  Act, 
was  enforced  not  only  in  the  case  of  Catholics,  but  also 
of  all  Nonconformists,  that  is,  Protestants  who  did  not 
conform  to  the  Church  of  England.  This  bill  was  an 
utter  violation  of  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick. 

225.  The  Schism  Act.  The  Schism  Act,  which  was 
passed  in  17 14,  the  last  year  of  Queen  Anne's  reign, 
provided  that  only  those  who  had  received  a  license 
from  a  bishop  of  the  Church  of  England  could  teach  a 
school.  Nor  could  any  one  secure  this  license  without 
submitting  to  the  sacramental  test. 

226.  A  third  instalment  of  penal  laws.  A  third 
series  of  penal  restrictions  was  imposed  in  the  second 
year  of  George  IPs  reign,  1728.  Under  these,  the 
Catholics  Catholics  were  completely  disfranchised,  losing 
diSran-^^^  every  right  to  vote.  No  Catholic  might  move 
cWsed.  into  the  cities  of  Limerick  and  Galway,  the  two 
last  strongholds  of  the  old  race.  Any  one  discovering  a 
bishop  or  a  Jesuit  unregistered,  or  a  schoolmaster  whose 


1728]  THE    PENAL    LAWS  245 

name  was  not  in  the  government  books,  could  report 
such  a  person,  and  receive  a  reward,  which  the  Catho- 
lics were  forced  to  pay.  The  "sport  of  priest-hunting" 
became  very  popular  with  the  dregs  of  the  population, 
Portuguese  Jews  being  employed  as  trackers. 

227.  Enforcement  of  the  Penal  Code.  There  were 
certainly  sufficiently  severe  provisions  in  these  penal 
laws  to  destroy  Irish  Catholics  and  Catholicism  together, 
had  they  been  rigidly  carried  out.  This  was,  however, 
impossible,  since  the  party  which  upheld  them  was  a 
very  small  minority,  though  armed  with  the  full  powers 
of  the  civil  law.  It  should  be  said,  also,  that  j,q^  always 
the  bulk  of  the  Protestants  protested  against  strict, 
these  laws,  and  did  much,  in  a  quiet  way,  to  lighten 
them  for  their  oppressed  Catholic  fellow-countrymen, 
protecting  their  property  arid  children  from  the  injustice 
of  the  officials.  This  was  in  part  due  to  the  fact  that 
Protestant  Nonconformists  were  also  under  the  ban  of 
the  law,  but  in  larger  part  to  the  inherent  kindness  of 
human  nature. 

But  there  were  periods  of  awful  severity  and  oppres- 
sion, especially  just  after  the  passing  of  a  new  restrictive 

act,  when  for  a  time  the  Penal  Code  was  car-   „      ,  , 

Spread  of 

ried  out  to  the  letter.     The  worst  suffering  was   Cathou- 
endured  during  Queen  Anne's  reign,  and  again 
under  George  II,  and  yet,  in  spite  of  it  all,  we  find  the 
Irish   Parliament  complaining  to   England   of  the  con- 
tinued growth    of    Irish   Catholicism.     Ulster 
_,       ,  .  1        1  XT  r  •  1        Emigration. 

Presbyterians  and  other  Nonconformists  who 

also  suffered  under  the  Test  and  Schism  Acts  emigrated 
by  thousands  to  America. 

In  considering  this  legislation,  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  a  similar  state  of  affairs  existed  in  other  lands 
at  the  same  time.     Only  in  Ireland,  however,  did  a  small 


246  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1728 

minority  try  to  suppress  the  religion  of  a  whole  nation, 
Conditions  °^  whose  confiscated  lands  they  lived,  and 
In  Ireland    whose  revenues  they  enjoyed.      What  stamps 

compared  .  . 

with  other  the  Irish  penal  laws  as  particularly  infamous 
countries.      -^^   ^j^^^    ^1^^^    represented    not    only    religious 

bigotry,  oppression,  and  cruelty,  but  also  a  broken  pro- 
mise, a  violation  of  the  solemn  pledges  of  the  treaty  of 
Limerick,  under  whose  provisions  the  Irish  leaders  had 
consented  to  end  the  war,  and  had  dismissed  the  army  of 
relief  which  had  already  reached  Limerick  from  Catholic 
France. 

228.  Manufactures  and  trade  prosperous.  The  only 
occupations  left  open  to  the  Catholics  by  the  penal  laws 
were  commerce  and  trade.  The  large  seaports  and 
towns  had  been  gradually  filled  with  energetic  mer- 
chants, mostly  Protestants,  who,  in  spite  of  the  wars 
and  other  disturbances,  were  building  up  large  factories 
Jealousy  of  ^^^^  Other  business  enterprises.  The  English 
England.  began  to  fear  successful  rivalry,  with  the  re- 
sult that  repressive  laws  were  directed  against  trade 
and  commerce,  injuring  all  Irishmen  alike,  of  whatever 
race  and  creed,  and  ruining  the  only  activity  left  to  the 
Catholics. 

These  laws  were  passed  in  the  same  period  which  saw 

the  growth  of  the  penal  laws.     They  were  particularly 

the  work  of  the  Parliament  of  England,  and 

Severe  .  .  ,      ,     r  1  11 

trade  laws    are  thus    distinguished    from  the    penal   laws, 

passed.  ^^^  chief  responsibility  for  which  must  be  borne 
by  the  Anglican  Church  in  Ireland.  The  Irish  Protest- 
ants suffered  more  than  the  Catholics  under  the  trade 
laws,  as  they  were  more  largely  engaged  in  commerce. 

229.  Parliament  prohibits  exportation.  Ireland 
had  always  exported  a  great  variety  of  products,  such  as 
cattle^  sheep,  pork,  beef,  mutton,  cheese,  and  butter,  her 


248  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1663 

chief  markets  being  England  and  the  English  colonies  in 
America.  After  1663,  the  English  Parliament  began  to 
pass  a  series  of  acts  prohibiting  trade  relations  between 
Ireland  and  all  external  ports,  with  the  exception  of  a 
very  few  cities  in  England,  so  that  this  large  trade,  which 
Poverty  ^^^  been  the  means  of  subsistence  of  masses 
results.  of  the  people,  was  deliberately  killed.  It  is 
easy  to  conceive  the  misery  which  was  thus  spread,  first 
through  the  ports  which  sent  forth  these  articles  of  trade, 
and  then  to  all  the  farms  of  the  land,  which  sent  their 
produce  to  the  ports. 

230.  Destruction  of  the  wool  trade.  Ireland's 
best  single  commodity  was  wool,  the  trade  in  which  was 
wholly  in  the  hands  of  Protestant  colonists.  Irish  wool 
was  famed  all  over  Europe,  finding  a  large  market,  and 
bringing  high  prices.  In  the  reign  of  Charles  I,  Went- 
worth  had  done  his  best  to  destroy  this  trade  (see  sec- 
tion 162),  but  it  had  again  struggled  to  life  and  vigor. 
Now  the  English  merchants  demanded  its  complete  de- 
struction, on  the  ground  that  it  was  ruining  the  wool  trade 
of  England.  The  result  was  that,  in  169Q,  the  cowardly 
Irish  Parliament  obeyed  orders  from  England  to  put  an 
exorbitant  export  duty  on  wool,  which  was  followed  by 
an  act  prohibiting  the  export  of  wool  or  woollen  goods 
from  Ireland  to  any  part  of  the  world,  outside  a  few 
English  ports,  where  the  English  merchants  could  buy 
them  cheap,  and  sell  them  dear,  as  English  products. 

Forty  thousand  people  were  thus  thrown  out 
misery  and  of  employment.  There  was  nothing  for  them 
em  gra  on.  ^^  ^^  ^^^^  starve  or  leave  the  country.  Great 
numbers  of  them,  especially  Presbyterians  and  Noncon- 
formists, found  their  way  to  New  England. 

231.  Growth  of  smuggling.  Smuggling  was  natu- 
rally resorted  to,  as  a  means  of  evading  the  unjust  re- 


1728]  THE   PENAL   LAWS  249 

strictions  on  trade.  All  classes  were  involved  in  it,  and 
the  authorities  were  powerless  to  prevent  it.  The  mer- 
chants carried  their  cloth  to  France,  and  returned  with 
brandy,  wine,  silks,  and  other  foreign  commodities.  These 
smuggled  goods  were  landed  in  the  sheltered  coves  and 
inlets  of  the  southern  coast,  well  out  of  sight  of  the 
customs  officials.  Many  Catholic  youths  went  with  the 
outgoing  ships,  eager  to  seek  their  fortunes  as  soldiers 
or  citizens  in  foreign  lands. 

232.  Ruin  of  the  minor  trades.  Not  satisfied  with 
the  destruction  of  the  wool  trade,  the  English  Parliament 
also  passed  laws  to  restrict  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
such  products  as  beer,  malt,  gunpowder,  hats,  sail-cloth, 
and  ironware.  Money  was  debased  till  there  was  no 
longer  silver  enough  in  the  country  to  meet  the  most 
pressing  needs  of  trade ;  and  workmen  were  often  com- 
pelled in  consequence  to  take  their  wages  in  the  goods 
which  they  were  manufacturing,  and  could  only  sell 
at  a  great  loss.  The  scandal  of  ** copper  halfpence" 
we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  of  later  on,  in  connection 
with  Dean  Swift.  (See  section  240.)  The  poverty 
and  misery  caused  by  the  destruction  of  all  these  trades 
brought  famine  and  pestilence  in  their  wake,  pamineand 
During  the  eighteenth  century,  the  peasantry  pestilence, 
of  Ireland,  the  most  wretched  in  all  Europe,  were  re- 
duced to  a  state  of  misery  from  which  they  have  not 
fully  recovered  to-day.  The  industries  were  so  com- 
pletely ruined  that,  in  many  cases,  they  could  not  be 
revived. 

233.  Rent  and  tithe  grievances.     Another  evil  of  the 
times  was  the  treatment  the  peasantry  received   "Middie- 
at    the   hands    of    the    '^  middlemen."      These  °^^^-" 
middlemen  took  tracts  of  land  from  the  landlords  who 
preferred  to  remain  in  Engand,  and  then  sublet  them  to 


250  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1750 

farmers  and  small  settlers,  at  very  high  prices,  which 
"Rack-  were  called  ''rack-rents,"  meaning  rents  which 
rents."  rack  or  torture.  Sometimes  there  were  several 
middlemen,  between  the  landlord  and  the  cultivator,  each 
seeking  a  profit  from  the  miserable  peasant. 

Besides  this,  tithes  had  to  be  paid  to  the  Anglican 
clergy,  who  collected  them  rigorously.  The  richer  class 
often  managed  to  evade  them,  so  that  they  fell 
"^^^  ^^'  almost  wholly  on  the  peasants.  The  poor  man 
always  had  a  band  of  robbers  around  him,  ready  to  snatch 
even  the  clothes  off  his  back.  Protestants  and  Catho- 
lics suffered  equally. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  century,  there  was  a  gen- 
eral movement  among  the  landlords  to  take  up  all  the 
land  which  had  formerly  been  cultivated,  and  turn  it  into 
cattle  and  sheep  pastures,  thus  driving  out  the  farmers 
and  their  families.  They  also  began  to  inclose  for  their 
own  private  use  the  large  tracts  of  land  which  had  for- 
merly been  common  pasture  ground.  They  further  ex- 
acted excessive  rents  for  waste  tracts  and  bogs,  on  which 
the  peasants  who  were  too  poor  to  rent  fertile  lands  had 
taken  refuge. 

234.  Peasant  grievances  enumerated,  1762.  The 
special  misfortunes  of  the  Irish  peasant  in  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century  have  been  graphically  enumerated 
as  follows  :  — 

He  was  rack-rented  by  the  landlord  ; 

He  was  persecuted  by  the  tithe-farmer  ; 

He  was  obliged  to  work  on  Catholic  holidays,  or  pay 
a  fine  of  two  shillings  ; 

He  was  forbidden  sports  on  Sunday,  on  penalty  of  a 
shilling  fine,  or  two  hours  in  the  stocks  ; 

He  was  whipped  and  fined,  if  found  with  a  switch  cut 
from  his  own  tree  ; 


1762]  THE   PENAL   LAWS  25 1 

He  was  liable  to  night  visitation  by  the  police  in  search 
of  arms  ; 

Public  whippings  were  always  inflicted  on  market- 
days,  when  the  victim  was  tied  to  a  cart-tail,  and  dragged 
through  the  streets,  receiving  blows  of  the  lash  as  he 
went. 

235.  Secret  societies.  The  peasants  began  to  form 
secret  societies,  in  hope  of  righting  their  wrongs.  One 
of  the  most  widespread,  the  "Whiteboys,"  was  "white- 
organized  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  in  1762.  It  ^°^^-" 
received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  the  men  wore  white 
shirts  over  their  coats,  for  mutual  recognition,  when 
they  went  out  at  night,  just  as  did  the  French  secret 
society  called  "Camisards."  Their  raids  were  most  fre- 
quent in  Waterford,  Cork,  and  Limerick,  and  were  di- 
rected against  individuals  ;  among  their  number  were 
men  of  all  churches,  as  all  had  grievances  in  common. 
They  began  by  pulling  down  the  fences  illegally  built 
around  commons,  from  which  they  got  the  name  of  "  lev- 
ellers "  ;  and  digging  up  arable  lands  which  had  been 
forcibly  turned  into  pastures.  But  they  soon  began  to 
commit  further  acts  of  violence,  so  that  a  large  force  of 
soldiers  was  sent  out  to  suppress  them. 

Similar  Protestant  societies  sprang  up  in  Ulster,  nota- 
bly two,  called  "Hearts  of  Oak,"  from  the  oak  "Hearts 
leaves  which  they  wore  in  their  hats,  and  ofOak." 
"  Hearts  of  Steel,"  to  indicate  their  unbending  resolution. 
These  societies  began  with  the  resolve  to  seek  general 
reforms,  without  resorting  to  violence  or  plundering. 
But  in  almost  every  case  they  contained  members  of 
bad  character,  who  indulged  in  such  acts  of  lawlessness 
that  soldiers  were  called  out  to  suppress  them. 


252  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1762 

SUMMARY 

During  the  years  1691-1782,  Ireland  suffered  under  an 
increasing  number  of  tyrannous  laws,  which  not  only  abso- 
lutely destroyed  her  religious  freedom,  but  completely  ruined 
her  trade  and  commerce.  Although  the  English  Parliament 
was  in  the  main  responsible  for  this  persecution,  a  great  part 
of  the  blame  may  be  laid  on  the  Protestant  Parliament  of 
Ireland.  There  were  three  large  instalments  of  the  penal 
laws:  those  of  1695-97,  those  of  1703-04,  which  included 
the  "  Test  Act,"  and  those  of  1728,  when  the  Catholics  were 
completely  disfranchised.  In  1698,  the  wool  trade  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  and  all  exportation  of  wool  was  prohibited. 
This  was  followed  by  the  destruction  of  many  minor  trades. 
Middlemen  and  their  "  rack-rents  "  ruined  the  poor  farmer. 
To  oppose  this  unjust  persecution,  the  peasants  formed  secret 
societies,  such  as  the  "  Whiteboys,"  but  nothing  permanent 
was  effected  by  them,  owing  to  their  lack  of  law  and  disci- 
pline. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

STRUGGLE    BETWEEN    THE    ENGLISH   AND    IRISH 
PARLIAMENTS 

1698-1783 
English  Sovereigns  : 

William  and  Mary,  1688-1702     George  II,  1 727-1760 
Anne,  1 702-1 714  George  III,  1760-1820 

George  I,  1714-1727 

236.  The  Irish  Parliament  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. In  the  last  chapter  we  traced  the  development  of 
the  penal  laws  and  trade  laws  during  the  eighteenth 
century.  We  shall  now  consider  especially  the  pro- 
gress of  legislative  affairs,  and  the  status  of  the  Parlia- 
ment at  Dublin  during  those  same  years.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  with  this  side  of  Irish  life  only  the 
Protestant  minority  was  concerned,  the  penal  laws  ex- 
cluding the  Catholics  from  political  activity.  Entirely 
It  was  the  Protestant  parliamentary  party,  seek-  Protestant, 
ing  liberty  for  Protestants  only,  which  carried  on  the 
constitutional  struggle  against  England. 

In  the  DubHn  Parliament,  opinion  was  divided.  The 
majority,  known  as  the  Court  party,  was  com-  q^^^^ 
posed  either  entirely  of  Englishmen  or  of  Irish-  party, 
men  who  were  strongly  in  sympathy  with  the  English. 
From  the  highest  government  official  down  to  the  lowest, 
all  favored  an  increase  of  English  influence,  and  were 
prepared  to  employ  corruption,  bribery,  unearned  pen- 
sions, and  similar  means  to  secure  a  sufficient  body  of 


254  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1698 

faithful  followers  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  English 
Council.  The  other  parliamentary  party,  known  as  the 
Patriotic  Patriotic  party,  was  composed  of  the  small  mi- 
party,  nority  of  thoughtful  Irish  Protestants  imbued 
with  a  feeling  of  patriotism,  which  grew  stronger  as  time 
went  on.  They  realized  the  injustices  which  their  coun- 
try suffered  at  the  hands  of  England,  and  especially 
those  which,  like  the  restrictions  on  trade,  particularly 
affected  themselves.  They,  therefore,  had  two  main 
objects  :  first,  to  remove  these  restrictions,  and,  second, 
to  make  the  Irish  Parliament  independent  of  the  Eng- 
lish, in  order  that  like  restrictions  might  not  be  imposed 
in  future.  This  party  counted  among  its  members  such 
men  as  Molyneux  and  Grattan  in  parliament,  and  such 
champions  as  Swift  and  Lucas  without.  We  shall  now 
follow  the  course  of  the  struggle  between  these  two  par- 
ties, the  Court  and  the  Patriotic  party. 

237.  Molyneux'  book.  As  early  as  1698,  William 
Molyneux,  member  of  parliament  for  Dublin  University, 
published  a  book,  "  The  Case  of  Ireland's  Being  Bound 
by  Acts  of  Parliament  in  England  Stated,"  in  which  he 
strongly  condemned  commercial  injustice  and  the  au- 
thority of  the  English  Parliament  in  Ireland.  This  book 
was  censured  by  the  English  House  of  Commons,  burned 
by  the  common  hangman,  and  followed  by  the  most  ruin- 
ous of  all  restrictions,  that  which  destroyed  the  wool 
trade,  as  already  described.     (See  section  230.) 

238.  The  Annesley  case.  In  17 19,  a  dispute  arose 
over  the  Annesley  estate,  which  ended  disastrously  for 
the  Irish  Parliament.  This  notable  lawsuit  was  decided 
in  favor  of  Annesley  by  the  Dublin  Court  of  Exchequer. 
His  opponent  appealed  to  the  Irish  House  of  Lords, 
which  reversed  the  decision.  Annesley  now  appealed 
to  the  English  House  of  Lords,  which  confirmed  the  first 


1723]         ENGLISH  AND  IRISH  PARLIAMENTS  255 

decision,  ordered  the  estate  to  be  restored  to  Annesley, 
and  fined  the  sheriff  of  Kildare  because  he  had  refused 
to  put  Annesley  in  possession  of  his  rights.  The  sheriff 
stated  his  case,  in  a  petition  to  the  Irish  House  of  Lords, 
which  annulled  the  fine,  on  the  ground  that  appeal  to 
England  was  illegal,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  arrest  the 
three  barons  of  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  who  had  given 
judgment  in  favor  of  Annesley.  In  reply,  the  English 
parliament  passed  an  Act  (known  as  the  Sixth  of  George 
I)  affirming  the  right  of  the  English  Parliament  to  pass 
laws  for  Ireland,  and  depriving  the  Irish  House  Complete 
of  Lords  of  the  right  to  hear  appeals.  Poyn-  onrfshPar- 
ings'  Law  (see  section  123)  had  gone  far,  but  iiament. 
this  last  Act  was  final.  The  legislative  independence  of 
the  Irish  Parliament  was  gone,  and  its  authority  was  a 
mere  name. 

239.  Jonathan  Swift.  The  party  of  the  Patriots  now 
had  at  its  head  Jonathan  Swift,  the  famous  writer  and 
Dean  of  Saint  Patrick's  in  Dublin,  who  has  left  Leader 

us  full  accounts  of  the  distress  of  the  times  in  patjfotic 
his  writings.  In  one  of  his  essays,  published  in  party. 
1720,  he  urged  the  people  of  Ireland  to  retaliate  on 
England,  with  the  result  that  he  was  accused  of  trying 
to  bring  the  Pretender  to  Ireland  to  lead  a  new  Jacobite 
rebellion.  He  exhorted  the  Irish  to  oppose  the  trade 
restrictions  by  refusing  to  buy  furniture  and  clothes 
made  in  England.  An  attempt  was  made  to  arrest  and 
punish  him,  but  it  failed. 

240.  ■Wood's  halfpence.  Swift  won  his  greatest 
fame,  however,  by  his  action  in  the  case  of  *'  Wood's 
halfpence."  Copper  money  was  very  scarce  in  Ireland, 
and  there  was  need  for  small  coin,  to  the  amount  of 
about  ^15,000.  Without  consulting  the  Irish  in  any 
way,  the  king  in  1723  granted  to  the  Duchess  of  Kendal 


256  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1723 

a  patent  for  coining  ^108,000  in  base  metal  half-pence 
and  farthings.  This  patent  was  sold  to  an  English  iron- 
merchant  named  Wood,  who  looked  forward  to  making 
a  large  profit  from  the  transaction.  Swift  and  others  re- 
garded this  as  an  extreme  injustice,  and  the  former  wrote 


JONATHAN    SWIFT 

very  bitterly  against  it.  Frequent  appeals  were  made 
to  the  king  to  revoke  the  patent,  but  without  success. 
Finally,  Swift  won  the  day  by  writing  and  publishing 
five  letters,  signed  W.  B.  Drapier,  explaining  in  simple 
"Drapier  language,  which  could  be  understood  even  by 
Letters."  the  peasantry,  all  the  harm  which  would  result 
from  such  a  system.  The  coins  were  of  such  base  metal 
that  twenty-four  of  them  did  not  contain  enough  copper 
to  make  one  good  penny.     These  letters  increased  the 


1745]  ENGLISH  AND  IRISH  PARLIAMENTS       257 

excitement,  which  was  already  great ;  and  a  reward  of 
three  hundred  pounds  was  offered  to  any  one  who  be- 
trayed the  name  of  the  author.  No  information,  how- 
ever, was  forthcoming,  and  so  great  was  the  popular 
outcry  that  the  patent  was  withdrawn.  This  may  be 
reckoned  the  first  victory  for  the  Patriotic  party,  and 
Swift  became  the  popular  hero  with  Protestants  and 
Catholics  alike. 

241.  Famine  and  emigration.  In  1727,  George  I  was 
succeeded  by  his  son.  Sir  Robert  Walpole  was  prime 
minister  in  England,  while  Ireland,  from  1724  to  1742 
was  governed  principally  under  the  direction  of  Boulter, 
the  Anglican  archbishop  of  Dublin,  who  increased  the 
influence  of  England  by  restricting  still  further  the  ex- 
tremely slight  influence  of  Catholics  in  elections.  (See 
section  224.)  During  1728-29,  Ireland  suffered  from 
a  failure  of  crops  which  amounted  to  a  famine,  and  re- 
sulted in  a  great  tide  of  emigration  to  America.  During 
the  next  few  years,  larger  numbers  than  ever  left  the 
country,  owing  to  restrictions  of  trade  and  commerce, 
and  the  injustice  of  exorbitant  rents.    (See  section  233.) 

242.  Chesterfield's  administration.  In  1745,  the 
Earl  of  Chesterfield  was  appointed  lord  lieutenant.  He 
was  a  man  of  high  principle,  and  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion only  on  condition  that  he  should  be  free  from  all 
restraint.  He  began  by  endeavoring  to  remove  some 
of  the  worst  grievances  of  the  Catholics.  He  enrolled 
Irish  soldiers  to  fight  in  the  service  of  England,  and 
encouraged  the  formation  of  bodies  of  volunteers,  who 
were  equipped  and  maintained  at  their  own  expense. 
He  refused  to  buy  votes.  When  he  had  a  surplus,  he 
used  it  in  such  useful  works  as  the  improvement  of 
Cork  harbor,  instead  of  diverting  it  for  personal  pur- 
poses.   But  his  useful  administration  was  cut  short  by 


258 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1745 


his  recall,  and  his   successors   soon  undid  most  of  the 
good  he  had  accomplished, 

243.  Charles  Lucas.  Charles  Lucas,  a  druggist,  who 
had  come  to  Dublin  from  Cork,  was  a  member  of  the 
Dublin  Common  Council.  He  began  a  campaign  to  re- 
cover the  lost  rights  of  that  body,  and  wrote  vigorously 
on  its  behalf.  He  then  passed  to  the  lost  rights  of  the 
L'ish  Parliament,  and  at  the  same  time  became  a  parlia- 
mentary candidate  for  the  city  of  Dublin.  His  writings 
caused  intense  popular  excitement,  but  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment, largely  in  the  hands  of  partisans  of  England,  had 
no  desire  to  recover  its  lost  rights,  and  attacked  its  own 
defender.  Lucas  was  compelled  to  leave  the  country, 
but  returned  at  a  later  date,  and  was  elected  to  parlia- 
ment, where  he  continued  to 
uphold  the  rights  of  Ireland. 

244.  Formation  of  the 
"Catholic  Committee."  Ever 
since  the  treaty  of  Limerick, 
1691,  the  Catholics  had  been 
absolutely  passive.  Now  they 
began  to  assert  themselves, 
very  timidly  at  first,  under  the 
leadership  of  Dr.  Curry,  a 
Dublin  physician  and  historian 
of  the  Irish  civil  wars,  Charles 
O'Connor,  a  distinguished  an- 
tiquarian, and  Mr.  Wyse  of 
Waterford.  These  men  en- 
deavored to  arouse  the  Catholic 
aristocracy  and  clergy,  but  both  classes  were  too  cowed 
to  respond.  Success  attended  their  efforts,  however, 
among  the  business  communities  of  the  larger  cities, 
and  they  ended  by  forming  the  "  Catholic  Committee," 


HENRY    GRATTAN 


1^1^ 


ENGLISH  AND  IRISH  PARLIAMENTS       259 


in  1757,  to  take  charge  of  Catholic  interests.     Meetings 
of  this  body  were   held  in  Dublin,  and  it  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  movement 
which  later  grew  to  such 
formidable  proportions  un- 
der Daniel  O'Connell. 

245.  Flood  and  Grat- 
tan.  Bribery  and  corrup- 
tion steadily  increased 
within  the  circle  of  the 
Dublin  government.  The 
practice  of  illegal  pen- 
sioning was  courageously 
attacked  by  the  patriot 
Henry  Flood  (1732-1791), 
who  was  seconded  by  the 
young,  and  later  famous, 
Henry  Grattan,  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  orators  and 
greatest  patriots  Ireland  has  ever  known.  Grattan  was 
born  in  Dublin,  1746,  entered  parliament  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death,  in  1820,  cham- 
pioned the  Irish  cause. 

246.  The  Octennial  BiU.  In  England,  parliament 
could  only  sit  for  seven  years,  when  a  new  election  must 
be  held.  In  Ireland,  each  parliament  sat  until  dissolved 
by  the  king,  which  might  be  a  period  of  thirty  years,  as 
happened  during  the  reign  of  George  II.  In  this  way 
a  party  subservient  to  the  English  government  could 
be  kept  in  power  indefinitely.  Several  bills  to  limit 
the  duration  of  parliament  to  seven  years  had  y^^^^^ 
been  submitted  by  the  Patriots  to  the  English  uament  to 
Council  with  no  result.  In  1767,  chiefly  owing  *^  ^*"^" 
to  the  efforts  of  Charles  Lucas,  the  Patriots  amid  great 


HENRY    FLOOD 
From  a  miniature  painting 


260  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1767 

rejoicing  succeeded  in  getting  the  Octennial  Bill  passed, 
which  limited  the  Irish  Parliament  to  eight  years. 

247.  Townshend  and  the  parliament.  The  new  par- 
liament called  in  1767  was  as  corrupt  as  the  old,  and  as 
subservient  to  the  lord  lieutenant,  Lord  Townshend,  in 
jjj  ^  all  but  one  particular.  It  refused  to  pass  bills 
oyer  money  granting  money,  unless  these  bills  originated 
in  Ireland.  In  1769,  such  a  bill  was  returned 
from  England,  where  it  had  been  sent  by  the  Dublin 
Council,  and  was  rejected  by  the  Irish  Parliament. 
Townshend  refrained  from  active  opposition,  until  he  had 
the  usual  money  supplies  voted  by  the  parliament.  He 
then  summoned  the  Irish  Commons  before  the  bar  of 
the  House  of  Lords,  and  read  them  a  lecture  as  if  they 
had  been  a  class  of  disobedient  schoolboys.  He  followed 
this  by  proroguing  parliament  for  fourteen  months.  The 
Commons  showed  their  independence,  however,  by  refus- 
ing to  enter  the  reproof  of  the  lord  lieutenant  on  the 
records  of  their  House,  an  act  which  gave  new  courage 
and  resolution  to  the  Patriotic  party. 

Townshend  was  forced  to  resign,  in  1772,  unable  to 
withstand  the  incessant  attacks  published  against  him 
Townshend  i"  Dublin.  Although  he  was  one  of  the  most 
resigns.  unscrupulous  governors  Ireland  ever  had,  his 
administration  did  more  to  strengthen  th.e  Patriotic  party 
than  anything  else.  It  was  during  his  administration 
that  the  movement  was  begun  in  Ulster,  which  resulted 
in  the  formation  of  the  secret  societies  "  Hearts  of  Steel  " 
and  "  Hearts  of  Oak  "  (see  section  235) ;  and  an  Act  was 
finally  passed  by  him  which  allowed  a  Catholic  to  obtain 
a  long  lease  of  fifty  acres  of  bog,  which  must  be  at  least 
four  feet  deep  and  a  mile  distant  from  any  market  town. 
The  tenant  was  expected  to  reclaim  this  bog  at  his  own 
expense,  and,  if  it  was  too  marshy  to  build  on,  he  might 


1775]        ENGLISH   AND    IRISH    PARLIAMENTS        261 

also  lease  half  an  acre  of  dry  ground  for  his  house.  This 
represents  the  Umit  of  privilege  granted  to  Catholics  at 
this  time. 

248.  England  and  her  American  colonies.  But  before 
long,  some  slight  relief  was  to  come  from  an  unexpected 
quarter.  In  1775,  war  broke  out  between  England  and 
her  American  colonies,  which  had  an  immediate  The  Em- 
effect  on  Irish  trade.  England  passed  the  Em-  ^argoAct. 
bargo  Act,  which  forbade  the  exportation  of  salt  meat  and 
other  provisions  from 
Ireland,  in  order  to 
prevent  supplies  from 
reaching  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  to  cheapen 
food  for  the  English 
army.  This  measure 
deprived  Ireland  of  one 
of  her  best  markets. 

The  Irish  Protest- 
ants sympathized  with 
the  American  colo- 
nists who  were  fight- 
ing for  the  very  points 
at  issue  in  Ireland : 
freedom  of  trade,  and  ^^^^^^  ^^^^^ 

"no   taxation   without 

representation."  One  of  the  greatest  of  Irishmen,  Ed- 
mund Burke,  came  forward  as  the  champion  of  Edmund 
the  American  colonists  in  the  English  Parlia-  Burke, 
ment.  His  "  Speech  on  Conciliation  with  America"  is 
a  lasting  treasure  of  the  literature  of  the  world.  Mean- 
while, the  tide  of  fortune  went  against  the  English  ar- 
mies in  America.  Burgoyne  surrendered  at  Saratoga, 
and  France  declared  for  the  independence  of  the  United 


262  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1775 

States.  England  began  to  consider  the  necessity  of  con- 
ciliating Ireland,  in  order  to  strengthen  herself  against 
America. 

249.  Slight  concession  to  Catholics.     The  first  con- 
cession was  made    to  the  Irish  Catholics.     The   penal 
Some  of  the   ^^^^'^'  although   they  had  fallen  into  compara- 
penaiiaws    tive  disuse,  could  be,  and  were  revived  on  occa- 
sion.    In  spite  of  considerable  opposition,  Luke 

Gardiner,  afterwards  Lord  Mountjoy,  presented  a  bill  to 
the  Irish  Parliament  in  1778,  which  repealed  certain  sec- 
tions of  the  penal  laws  :  namely,  those  which  prohibited 
the  purchase  of  property  by  Irish  Catholics  ;  which  gave 
the  entire  estate  of  an  Irish  Catholic  to  his  son,  if  the 
latter  became  a  Protestant ;  and  which  compelled  a  father 
to  provide  for  the  education  of  his  son  who  became  a 
Embargo  Protestant.  Catholics  were  to  be  allowed  to 
repealed.  lease  land  for  999  years,  almost  equivalent  to 
purchase,  and  the  Test  Act  was  abolished.  (See  section 
224.)  The  embargo  on  the  export  of  provisions  was 
also  removed. 

250.  The   Volunteers.    George    III    had    withdrawn 
so  many  Irish  troops  to  fight  for  him  in  America  that 

the  island  was  almost  defenceless,  and  liable  to 

Ireland 

liable  to        invasion  from  France  or  Spain,  or  at  least  to 

invasion.  scrious  attack  from  privateers  like  Paul  Jones, 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States.  Toward  the  close 
of  1778,  some  of  the  people  of  Belfast,  realizing  the  situa- 
tion, began  a  movement  to  enroll  volunteers.  The 
richer  landlords  armed  and  drilled  their  tenants  at  their 
own  expense.  This  example  was  followed  in  Down  and 
Antrim,  so  that  by  May,  1779,  four  thousand  volunteers 
came  forward  to  take  the  place  of  the  departed  garri- 
sons. The  authorities  looked  askance  at  this  citizen 
army  which  they  had  had  no  hand  in  raising,  and  regarded 


1779]         ENGLISH  AND  IRISH  PARLIAMENTS  263 

it  as  a  future  menace,  but  they  could  do  nothing  to  pre- 
vent it.  Before  the  end  of  the  year,  the  Volunteers 
numbered  forty-two  thousand,  a  formidable  force  under 
the  leadership  of  such  men  as  James  Caulfield,  earl  of 
Charlemont,  and  Fitzgerald,  duke  of  Leinster.  Two 
things  should  be  noticed  :  first,  that  the  Volunteers  were 
drawn  from  the  class  which  suffered  most  under  the 
trade  laws,  and  who,  while  maintaining  their  allegiance 
to  England,  were  Irish  Patriots  in  sympathies ;  and, 
secondly,  that  they  included  no  Catholics  at  this  time, 
though  many  joined  later. 

251.  Parliament  and  the  Volunteers.  The  parlia- 
ment convened  in  October,  1779,  had  to  face  the  Pa- 
triotic party  supported  by  this  formidable  army.  The 
famous  Henry  Grattan  came  to  the  front  as  leader  of 
this  party.  As  usual,  the  session  of  parliament  was 
opened  by  the  reading  of  the  king's  speech.  Parliament 
replied  in  an  Address  to  the  king.  Grattan  made  a 
motion  to..add  to  the  Address  the  following  words  :  '*  We 
beg  leave,  however,  humbly  to  represent  to  your  Majesty 

that  it  is  not  by  temporary  expedients,  but  bv 

r  II,,-..  ,  Grattan's 

tree  trade  alone,  that  this  nation  is  to  be  saved  amend- 

from  impending  ruin."  Flood,  Hutchinson,  ^^^^' 
Ponsonby,  and  Gardiner,  all  holding  government  offices, 
supported  him.  Dublin  was  in  a  state  of  great  excitement, 
and  the  Address  to  the  throne,  thus  amended,  was  tri- 
umphantly carried  through  streets  lined  with  Volunteers, 
from  the  House  of  Parliament  to  the  Castle,  to  be  signed 
by  the  lord  lieutenant. 

252.  Removal  of  trade  restrictions.  The  action  of 
the  Irish  Parliament  and  the  Volunteers  caused  Lord 
North,  the  prime  minister  of  England,  to  introduce  three 
proposals  in  the  English  House  of  Commons,  which  pro- 
vided for  the  restoration  of  free  trade  to  Ireland,  Novem- 


264  IRELAND'S   STORY  "   [1779 

ber,  1779.  The  first  was,  to  remit  the  export  duty  on 
Irish  wool  and  woollen  goods ;  the  second  provided  for 
the  free  export  of  Irish  glassware ;  the  third  permitted 
free  trade  between  Ireland  and  the  British  colonies  in 
America,  the  West  Indies,  and  Africa^  subject  to  cer- 
tain restrictions  to  be  imposed  by  the  Irish  Parliament. 
These  three  proposals  became  law  without  opposition. 

253.  Volunteers  demand  legislative  independence. 
The  American  war  had  done  much  for  Ireland,  but  there 
was  much  still  to  be  done.  The  Patriotic  party  took  a 
firmer  stand,  and  determined  to  free  their  parliament 

from  such  laws  as  Poynings'  (see  section  123), 

resoiu-        and  the  Sixth  of  George  I.     (See  section  238.) 

On  April   19,    1780,   Grattan  made   a  famous 

speech  in  parliament  in  which  he  moved  the  following 

resolutions  :  — 

That  no  power  on  earth,  save  the  King,  Lords,  and 
Commons  of  Ireland,  had  the  right  to  make  laws  for 
Ireland ; 

That  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  are  inseparably  united 
under  one  sovereign. 

A  very  exciting  debate  followed,  but  a  vote  was  not 
then  taken,  as  Grattan  did  not  consider  the  time  favorable. 

In  return  for  the  removal  of  trade  restrictions,  the 
House  of  Commons  voted  supplies  for  eighteen  months 
longer,  allowing  increased  taxation  to  be  raised  in  Ire- 
land to  the  amount  of  ^150,000  a  year. 

254.  The  Mutiny  Bill.  The  next  dispute  arose  the 
same  year  over  the  Mutiny  Bill,  which  provided  for  the 
support  of  the  army.  This  Bill  was  passed  by  the  Irish 
parliament  as  a  temporary  measure,  and  so  sent  to  Eng- 
land, where  the  English  Parliament  changed  it  to  a  per- 
petual provision,  and  returned  it  to  Ireland.  Such  an 
arrangement  put  a  great  deal  of  power  in   the  king's 


782] 


ENGLISH  AND  IRISH  PARLIAMENTS 


265 


hands,  by  supplying  him  with  a  standing  army,  and  it 
was  hotly  opposed  by  the  Irish  Patriots.  Nevertheless, 
by  a  series  of  renewed  bribes,  such  as  peerages,  pen- 
sions, and  promotions,  the  authorities  succeeded  jyi^de 
in  having  the  bill  passed  by  the  Irish  Parlia-  perpetual, 
ment  as  perpetual.  The  English  failed  to  see  that  this 
only  added  to  the  growing  discontent  and  excitement  in 
Ireland,  which  were  increased  by  the  successful  revolu- 
tion in  America  and  the  encouragement  received  from 
France.  The  Patriots  were  strongly  in  favor  of  com- 
plete legislative  independence.  The  ranks  of  the  Volun- 
teers daily  increased,  so  that  they  now  numbered  a  hun- 
dred thousand.  Flood  resigned  from  office  to  support 
the  cause  of  the  Patriots,  and  brilliant  and  influential 
men,  like  Hutchinson,  Fitzgibbon,  Burgh,  and  Yelverton, 
led  the  popular  cause.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
the  Patriotic  party  expressed  entire  loyalty  to  the  king. 
When  the  news  of  the  defeat  of  Cornwallis  reached 
Ireland,  Yelverton  withdrew  a  motion  in  favor  of  legisla- 
tive independence,  in  order  to  make  way  for  a  vote  of 
loyalty  to  the  king. 

255.  Volunteer  convention  at  Dungannon.  In 
spite  of  their  grow- 
ing strength,  the 
ranks  of  the  Pa- 
triots were  under- 
mined by  perpet- 
ual bribery  and 
the  distribution 
of  titles,  which 
brought  their 
weaker  members 
over  to  the  gov- 
ernment side,  and 


PRESBYTERIAN    MEETING-HOUSE  AT   DUNGANNON 
Where  the  Volunteers  met  in  February,  1782 


266  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1782 

diminished  their  numbers  in  parliament.  Grattan  deter- 
mined to  take  a  new  step.  On  February  15,  1782,  a 
convention  of  two  hundred  and  forty-two  delegates  from 
the  Ulster  Volunteers  met  at  Dungannon,  the  old  home 
of  Hugh  O'Neill,  to  deliberate  on  political  conditions. 
Grattan,  Flood,  and  Lord  Charlemont  were  in  charge  of 
the  proceedings.  They  passed  thirteen  resolutions,  of 
which  the  following  were  the  most  important :  — 

That  the  King,  Lords,  and  Commons  of  Ireland  alone 
itsresoin-     ^^^  ^^^  right  to  legislate  for  the  country ; 
tions.  That  Poynings'  Law   was   unconstitutional, 

and  should  be  repealed  ; 

That  the  ports  of  Ireland  should  be  opened  to  all  na- 
tions not  at  war  with  the  king ; 

That  the  permanent  Mutiny  Bill  was  unconstitutional ; 

That  "as  men  and  Irishmen,  as  Christians  and  Pro- 
testants, we  rejoice  in  the  relaxation  of  the  penal  laws 
against  our  Roman  Catholic  fellow-subjects  ;  and  we 
conceive  the  measure  to  be  fraught  with  the  happiest 
consequences  to  the  union,  and  prosperity  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Ireland." 

The  last  measure  was  ardently  supported  by  Grattan 
and  three  Protestant  clergymen  who  were  delegates  to 
the  convention.    No  Catholic  took  part  in  the  proceedings. 

266.  Further  repeal  of  the  penal  laws.  The  same 
day,  February  15,  Luke  Gardiner  introduced  further  mea- 
sures in  parliament  for  the  relief  of  the  Catholics.  The 
laws  against  buying  and  selling  land  were  modified.  The 
acts  forbidding  the  celebration  of  mass,  ordering  the  regis- 
tration of  priests,  and  regulating  the  residence  of  bishops 
were  repealed,  and  Catholics  were  permitted  to  live  in 
the  two  great  Gaelic  centres.  Limerick  and  Galway. 
Catholic  schoolmasters  could  teach,  and  Catholics  could 
be  guardians  of  children.     They  were  no  longer  presumed 


BADGE   OF   THE 
VOLUN- 
TEERS 


1783]         ENGLISH    AND    IRISH    PARLIAMENTS        267 

to  be  guilty  of  all  robberies  commited  in  the  country. 
The  ridiculous  and  unjust  law  providing  that  no  Catho- 
lic might  own  a  horse  worth  more  than  five  pounds  was 
also  repealed. 

257.  The  Act  of  Repeal,  May  27, 1782. 
At  the  next  meeting  of  parliament,  in 
April,  1782,  Grattan  moved  and  carried 
his  amendment,  which  comprised  the 
Dungannon  resolutions,  except  the  last 
referring  to  Catholics.  He  was  extremely 
ill  at  the  time,  and  so  weak  that  he  could 
hardly  speak,  yet  his  oration  on  this  oc-  "down 
casion  won  just  fame.  In  May,  the  En 
lish  Parliament  passed  the  Act  of  Repeal,  which  meant 
independence  for  the  Irish  Parliament.  Poynings'  Law 
was  repealed  (see  section  123)  and  also  the  Sixth  irishPar- 
of  George  I.  (See  section  238.)  The  right  of  ^^nsTnde- 
the  Irish  House  of  Lords  to  hear  appeals  was  pendence. 
restored.  The  joy  created  by  this  news  in  Dublin  was  in- 
describable. The  Irish  Parliament  showed  its  gratitude 
by  voting  twenty  thousand  men  and  ;^  100, 000  to  the 
English  navy.  It  was  admitted  that  the  repeal  was  a 
personal  triumph  for  Grattan.  He  was  voted  a  grant 
of  ^100,000,  only  half  of  which  he  finally  consented  to 
accept. 

258.  The  Act  of  Renunciation.  On  January  22,  in  the 
following  year,  1783,  the  Act  of  Renunciation  was  passed, 
which  may  be  regarded  as  the  charter  of  Irish  legislative 
independence.  By  it  England  formally  gave  up  the  right 
to  make  laws  for  Ireland,  which  was  to  be  henceforth  sub- 
ject in  everything  only  to  the  king  and  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment. 

Thus  the  parliamentary  struggle  which  lasted   from 
to  1783  ended  in  favor  of  Ireland,  and  decided  that 


268  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1783 

Ireland  should  be  a  nation,  and  not  an  English  settle- 
ment. Thanks  to  the  timely  revolt  of  the  American  col- 
onies against  just  such  grievances  as  those  of  Ireland, 
and  to  the  efforts  of  men  like  Grattan,  Flood,  and  their 
colleagues,  Ireland  had  found  the  spirit  of  responsibility, 
and  had  come  to  a  realization  of  her  rights  and  powers. 
This  movement  v^as,  it  should  be  remembered,  almost 
wholly  Protestant,  but  many  measures  were  passed  which 
were  intended  to  lighten  the  lot  of  the  Catholics,  and 
make  them  more  equal  with  their  Protestant  rulers  before 
the  law. 

SUMMARY 

There  were  two  distinct  parties  in  parliament  during  the 
century  1698-1783  :  the  "Court  party,"  who  did  everything 
to  increase  despotic  English  influence,  and  the  "  Patriotic 
party,"  a  small  minority  who  struggled  for  the  independence 
and  welfare  of  their  country.  The  Patriots  had  as  leaders  in 
parliament  and  outside  such  men  as  Lucas,  Swift,  Flood, 
and  Grattan.  The  act  called  the  "  Sixth  of  George  I,"  17 19, 
gave  the  death-blow  to  the  authority  of  the  Irish  Parliament. 
In  1757,  a  Catholic  Committee  was  formed  to  protect  the 
interests  of  oppressed  Catholics.  In  1767,  the  Octennial  Bill 
was  passed,  which  limited  the  term  of  parliament  to  eight 
years.  The  Irish  Commons  refused  to  pass  money-bills  not 
originated  by  themselves.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with 
America  the  English  Parliament  passed  the  Embargo  Act, 
1775,  b"^  ^t  was  repealed  three  years  later,  together  with  some 
of  the  penal  laws  against  Catholics.  Fearing  invasion,  the 
Irish  Protestants  formed  a  volunteer  society  which  raised  a 
large  army  and  demanded  reform  from  England.  The  Volun- 
teers met  in  convention  at  Dungannon  in  1782,  and  drew  up 
resolutions.  The  result  was  the  further  repeal  of  penal  laws 
followed  by  the  Act  of  Repeal,  1782,  and  the  Act  of  Renun- 
ciation, January  22,  1783,  which  gave  legislative  freedom  to 
Ireland.     Trade  restrictions  were  also  removed. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

THE    IRISH    REBELLION 

1798 

English  Sovereign:  George  III,  1 760-1820 

259.  Need  of  parliamentary  reform.  During  the 
last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century,  Ireland  had  legis- 
lative freedom,  subject  only  to  the  veto  of  the  English 
king,  but  the  houses  of  parliament  themselves  were  far 
from  ideal.  Of  three  hundred  members  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  not  more  than  seventy  or  eighty  were 
elected  by  a  free  vote  of  the  people.  Rotten  boroughs 
were  numerous,  and  seats  sold  as  high  as  ten  thousand 
pounds.  The  absolute  exclusion  of  Catholics,  who  num- 
bered four  fifths  of  the  population  of  the  coun- 
try, further  prevented  the  Irish  Parliament  representa- 
from  being  a  truly  representative  body,  genu- 
inely independent,  and  answering  to  the  will  of  the  na- 
tion instead  of  that  of  the  representatives  of  England 
at  Dublin.  Reform  was  needed,  and  needed  badly. 
Had  it  come  at  this  time,  the  bloodshed  of  1798  might 
have  been  averted.  Let  us  see  why  reform  was  not 
achieved. 

260.  Plans  for  a  convention.  Besides  the  need  of 
parliamentary  reform,  the  further  regulation  of  free 
trade  and  the  necessity  of  Catholic  emancipation  were 
recognized  by  the  Patriots.  The  Volunteers  took  up  the 
question  of  the  reform  of  parliament,  and  held  several 


270  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1783 

meetings,  appointed  con^mittees,  and  chose  delegates  to 
represent  them  in  a  great  convention  to  be  held  in  Dub- 
lin on  November  10,  1783.  Meanwhile,  in  parliament, 
„   ^,  the  two  great  leaders,  Grattan  and  Flood,  were 

Grattan  . 

and  Flood  in  disagreement  over  a  measure  to  reduce 
quarre .  expenses.  Grattan  advocated  reducing  the 
expenses  of  the  government,  while  Flood  thought  that 
economy  should  be  secured  by  reducing  the  army.  The 
dispute  was  so  bitter  that  it  destroyed  the  friendship 
between  them,  thus  greatly  weakening  the  cause  of  the 
Patriots. 

261.  The  convention,  November  10,  1783.  A  hun- 
dred and  sixty  delegates  of  the  Irish  Volunteers  met  in  the 
Rotunda  at  Dublin,  on  November  10,  with  the  Earl  of 
Charlemont,  who  commanded  the  whole  of  the  Volunteer 
force,  in  the  chair.  Resolutions  were  passed,  which 
provided  that  the  franchise  should  remain  practically 
unchanged  in  the  counties,  but  that  the  right  to  vote 
should  be  extended  in  the  boroughs.  Flood  presented  a 
bill  embodying  this  proposal  to  the  parliament,  which 
Reform  bill  """^^  ^^^  November  28.  After  a  hot  debate  the 
defeated.  \y[\\  ^^g  rejected,  and  with  it  ended,  for  the 
time,  the  efforts  of  the  Patriotic  party  to  accomplish  par- 
liamentary reforms. 

262.  Result  to  the  Volunteers.  A  death-blow  was 
dealt  to  the  Volunteer  movement  as  a  whole  by  this 
rejection,  and  the  convention  broke  up,  without  any  date 
being  fixed  for  the  next  meeting.  The  numbers  of  the 
Volunteers  continued  to  increase,  but  they  became  more 
revolutionary  in  spirit,  and  broke  away  from  the  restrain- 
_     ,  ing  influence  of  men   like   Lord   Charlemont, 

Revolu-  ^  ' 

tionary         Curran,  and  Wolf  Tone,  who  condemned  their 
tendency  to  form  secret  clubs,  which  soon  be- 
came  secret    revolutionary   societies.     The  Volunteers 


1785]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  2/1 

now  began  to  enroll  Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants, 
which  frightened  the  government,  and  caused  an  increase 
in  the  numbers  of  the  militia.  The  people  grew  resent- 
ful and  violent,  and  mob  outbreaks  were  frequent,  espe- 
cially in  Dublin. 

263.  Trade  congress  called.  The  second  question 
at  issue  met  with  a  similar  check.  There  was  still  a 
high  duty  on  Irish  exports  to  England,  while  English 
goods  entered  Ireland  practically  duty  free.  During 
1784  and  1785  this  question  was  uppermost  in  all  minds, 
and,  in  order  to  solve  it,  a  public  meeting  was  called  in 
Dublin,  which  arranged  for  the  election  of  delegates  to 
meet  in  a  congress  on  October  25,  1785.  This  congress 
passed  a  series  of  resolutions  in  favor  of  free  election 
and  the  extension  of  the  franchise  to  Catholics.  An 
address  to  the  people  was  prepared,  and  a  petition  was 
sent  to  the  king.  The  question  of  votes  for  Catholics 
proved  such  a  stumbling-block  that  little  was  accom- 
plished by  the  congress,  which  dissolved  after  several 
futile  meetings. 

264.  Orde's  Bill,  1785.     In  England,  Pitt  made  an 

attempt  to  have  a  bill  passed  to  remedy  the  trade  evils, 

but  the  English    manufacturers    and  merchants    raised 

such  an   outcry   at  the  idea  of  granting  the  Irish  free 

ports  that  Pitt  abandoned  his  plan.     This  bill,   „  ^,    , 
^  ^  '    Motion  for 

which  would  have  placed  England  and  Ireland  free  trade 
on  an  equal  footing  in  commerce,  was  known 
as  Orde's  Bill,  as  it  was  prepared  by  Orde,  the  Chief 
Secretary.  Pitt  then  introduced  a  bill  of  his  own,  con- 
taining twenty  propositions  much  less  favorable  to  Ire- 
land, and  including  several  severe  restrictions.  These 
propositions  offered  little  more  to  Ireland  than  equality 
of  taxes.  The  measure  passed  the  English  Parliament, 
but  aroused  much  indignation  in  Ireland,  where  it  was 


272  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1785 

opposed  by  Grattan  and  Flood,  and  practically  defeated 
in  the  Irish  Parliament,  August,  1785. 

265.  Other  abuses.  Besides  parliamentary  and  trade 
reform,  the  country  needed  general  reform.  Terrible 
discontent  and  unrest  were  prevalent,  especially  among 
the  peasantry,  due  chiefly  to  the  extortion  of  the  tithe- 
collectors,  or  "  tithe-proctors."  Every  man  who  tilled 
^jti^g.  land  was  obliged  to  pay  tithes  to  the  Anglican 
proctors.  church  established  in  Ireland.  The  tithes  were 
collected  by  men  called  proctors,  whose  methods  were 
like  those  of  the  middlemen.  (See  section  233.) .  They 
received  a  percentage  on  collections,  so  that  it  was  to 
their  interest  to  make  the  tithes  as  large  as  possible.  Be- 
sides, there  was  a  tax  for  repairs  to  churches.  Grazing 
lands  were  not  subject  to  tithes,  so  that  instead  of  fall- 
ing on  the  rich  cattlemen,  they  weighed  most  heavily  on 
the  poorest  peasants. 

266.  Menacing  signs  of  revolution.  The  peasants, 
driven  to  desperation  by  this  state  of  affairs,  began  to 
geejg^  form  new  secret  societies.  The  Whiteboys 
societies.  were  revived  under  the  name  of  "  Right  Boys," 
whose  purpose  was  to  harass  the  clergy  of  the  estab- 
lished church.  In  the  north,  the  "  Peep-o'-day  Boys  " 
and  ''Wreckers"  rose  from  the  poorest  class  of  the 
Protestants,  and  committed  acts  of  violence  on  Catholics. 
The  government  was  alarmed,  and  enrolled  a  number  of 
constables  to  guard  the  city  of  Dublin.     These  were 

later  incorporated  as  the  DubHn  police.   A  strin- 
Crlmes  ^   .  a  ■,  1 

Act  gent  Crimes  Act  was  passed  to  counteract  the 

passe  .        secret  societies,  but  without  avail.    Outrages 
increased  continually. 

The  people  began  to  realize  that  no  help  could  be  ex- 
pected from  parliament.  Under  the  contagious  influence 
of  the  French  Revolution  the  anniversary  of  the  fall  of 


790 


THE    IRISH    REBELLION 


273 


the  Bastile  was  celebrated  with  great  enthusiasm  in  Bel- 
fast in  1 79 1,  and  there  was  a  general  outcry  for  the 
"rights  of  man,"  parliamentary  representation,  and  Cath- 
olic emancipation.  The  old  Volunteer  leaders,  including 
Charlemont,  Curran,  the  Duke  of  Leinster,  and  TheWMg 
Wolfe  Tone,  formed  themselves  into  the  ^^^^s. 
''  Whig  Club  "in  Dublin,  and  the  "  Northern  Whig  Club  " 
in  Belfast.  There  was  nothing  illegal  in  their  action,  but 
their  tendency  was  distinctly  revolutionary. 

267.  The  "  United  Irishmen."  Theobald  Wolfe  Tone 
now  becomes  prominent,  as  the  leader  of  a  remarkable 
movement.  Inspired  by  the  highest  ideals  of  national 
unity,  toleration,  and 
freedom,  he  was  a  won- 
derful organizer  and  a 
born  leader.  Already 
known  through  the  Vol- 
unteer movement,  he 
had  great  influence, 
and,  though  a  Protest- 
ant, was  appointed  sec- 
retary to  the  Catholic 
Committee  in  ^o^g 
Dublin,  thus  Tone, 
bringing  the  two  parties 
together  in  his  person. 
In  October,  1791,  he 
founded  a  new  and  more 
radical  party  in  Belfast, 
called  the  "  United 
Irishmen."  Its  first  members  were  Presbyterians,  and 
its  objects  were  "a  union  of  Irishmen  of  every  religious 
persuasion,  in  order  to  obtain  a  complete  reform  of  the 
legislature,  founded  on  principles  of  civil,  political,  and 


THEOBALD   WOLFE   TONE 

I 763- I 798 


274  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1792 

religious  liberty."  Furthermore,  he  aimed  at  the  repeal 
of  all  remaining  penal  laws  against  the  Catholics,  in  order 
that  there  might  be  absolute  unity,  as  suggested  by  the 
name  of  his  society.  There  was  a  branch  of  the  United 
Irishmen  in  Dublin. 

268.  **  Back  Lane  Parliament,"  December  2,  1792. 
The  Catholic  Committee  formed  thirty  years  before 
(see  section  244)  had  been  steadily  working  to  redress 
the  CathoUcs'  wrongs.  There  were  two  parties  in  the 
committee :  the  aristocratic,  comprising  the  clergy  and 
nobility,  who  were  non-revolutionary  and  moderate ;  and 
the  democratic,  which  included  the  business  men,  led  by 
John  Keogh,  who  advocated  bold  and  determined  action. 
This  latter  party  had  the  sympathy  of  the  Catholic 
masses,  and  through  its  influence  a  meeting  was  held  in 
December,  1792,  in  the  Tailors'  Hall  in  Back  Lane,  Dub- 
Cathoiio  lin,  whence  it  received  the  name  of  *'  Back  Lane 
sentto\he  Parliament."  Here  a  petition  was  drawn  up, 
king.  to  be  sent  to  the  king  without  passing  through 
the  hands  of  the  hostile  Irish  Parliament.  This  petition 
asked  that  constitutional  rights  be  extended  to  Catholics. 

269.  Catholic  franchise  restored,  1793.  The  king 
received  the  petition  graciously,  and  in  April,  1793, 
owing  to  the  influence  of  the  English  ministers  and 
Grattan's  party,  a  bill  was  passed  through  the  Irish 
Parliament  granting  the  franchise  to  all  Catholics  who 
held  a  lease  of  land  for  life.  Catholics  were  permitted 
to  serve  on  juries,  hold  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  send  their  sons  to  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  which 
other  had  hitherto  been  exclusively  Protestant ;  they 
privileges,  might  also  open  colleges  in  connection  with 
Trinity  College,  provided  that  Protestants  should  not 
be  excluded  from  these  colleges.  The  oath  of  allegiance 
was  enforced,  but  no  other,  and  the  higher  classes  were 


1795]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  275 

permitted  to  carry  arms.  These  relief  measures  were 
really  a  great  gain,  but  were  to  some  extent  counter- 
balanced by  two  acts  passed  at  the  same  time,  convention 
the  Convention  Act,  directed  against  unlaw-  •^°*" 
ful  assemblies  like  the  Back  Lane  Parliament,  and  the 
Gunpowder  Act,  forbidding  the  importation  Gunpowder 
of  powder  and  arms,  and  giving  magistrates  the  ■^'^*" 
power  to  search  for  them  at  will.  Further,  England 
feared  revolutionary  tendencies,  and  by  means  of  spies 
kept  strict  watch  over  every  act  of  the  Catholic  Com- 
mittee and  the  United  Irishmen  alike.  Arrests  were 
made  on  slight  pretexts,  and  heavy  fines  were  imposed. 

270.  Attempt  at  Catholic  emancipation.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1795,  Earl  Fitzwilliam,  a  very  honest  and  liberal- 
minded  statesman,  came  over  as  lord  lieutenant,  with 
plans  inspired  by  Pitt  for  the  complete  emancipation  of 
the  Catholics.  He  was  enthusiastically  received,  and 
immediately  set  to  work  to  remove  from  office  all  who 
did  not  share  his  views.  In  acknowledgment,  the  Pa- 
triots, on  the  motion  of  Grattan,  voted  large  sums  of 
money  and  supplies  to  be  used  in  the  war  with  France. 
The  whole  country  was  full  of  excitement,  and  people  of 
every  denomination  sent  in  petitions  in  favor  of  the 
oppressed  Catholics.  On  the  12th  of  February,  Grattan 
presented  a  bill  for  the  admission  of  Catholics  to  parlia- 
ment, and  all  seemed  to  be  going  well,  when  a  storm- 
cloud  appeared  on  the  horizon.  Fitzgibbon  and  a  small 
opposition  party  took  determined  measures  to  defeat  the 
bill.  They  aroused  the  king's  fears  by  suggesting  that 
Protestantism  was  in  danger,  and  declared  that  the  propo- 
sals of  Fitzwilliam,  in  the  king's  name,  were  a  violation 
of  the  coronation  oath.  The  bill  was  opposed  by  the  king, 
and  the  cause  of  the  Catholics  was  temporarily  lost.  Nev- 
ertheless they  gained  one  point  during  that  year.     Their 


276  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1795 

priests  could  at  last  prepare  for  their  high  calling  with- 
out going  abroad,  for  the  English  government  feared  the 
Foundingof  continental  influence  which  they  brought  back 
Maynooth.  ^^j^]^  them,  especially  from  France,  and  founded 
the  Catholic  training  college  of  Maynooth,  endowed  with 
eight  thousand  pounds  a  year. 

271.  Discontent  leads  to  insurrection.  Amid  general 
regret,  Fitzwilliam  resigned  his  place  to  a  new  lord  lieu- 
tenant, who  arrived  in  March,  1795,  to  find  disturbances 
already  breaking  out.  The  mob  raged  in  the  streets  of 
Dublin,  and  marauding  bands  swarmed  over  the  country. 
The  leaders  had  determined  on  a  revolution,  and  foreign 
aid  was  expected.  The  United  Irishmen,  whose  ranks 
were  daily  increased  by  numbers  of  Catholics,  bound 
themselves  by  a  secret  oath,  but  the  government  was  all 
the  time  made  aware  of  their  plans  through  spies.  Among 
the  peasantry  Catholics  and  Protestants  were  bitterly 
opposed  to  each  other,  and  such  societies  as  the  "  Wreck- 
ers "  (Protestant)  and  the  "  Defenders  "  (Catholic)  fought 
very  fiercely.  The  Protestants  formed  a  new  society 
called   "  Orangemen,"  after  William  of  Orange,  which, 

like  all  the  secret  societies  of  the  time,  com- 
"  Orange-  mitted  serious  outrages,  driving  many  Catholic 
™®^'"  peasants  from  Ulster.     This  underground  war- 

fare, carried  on  between  the  lower  classes  of  the  opposed 
churches,  was  severely  censured  by  the  better  elements  of 
both,  and  troops  were  sent  out  to  arrest  the  raiders,  and 
put  a  stop  to  the  disorders.  But  their  proceedings  were 
often  as  lawless  as  those  of  the  marauders  themselves, 
and  little  good  came  of  this  intended  remedy. 

272.  Insurrection  Act  passed.  In  December,  1796, 
France  sent  a  fleet  of  forty-three  ships  which  was  wrecked 
before  it  reached  Ireland.  In  addition  to  this  disappoint- 
ment, at  the  next  session  of  parliament,  in  January,  1797, 


1798]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  2^^ 

a  severe  Insurrection  Act  was  passed,  which  was  followed 
b}^  the  suspension  of  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act,  so  that 
magistrates  were  free  to  arrest  all  persons  whom  they 
thought  dangerous.  Two  committees  of  United  Irish- 
men were  arrested  in  Belfast,  with  whom  important  pa- 
pers were  found.  Arms  were  sought  everywhere,  and  the 
prisons  were  filled  with  men  unjustly  arrested,  but  no 
conflicts  which  could  be  called  battles  were  fought  in 

1797,  although  many  parts  of  the  country  were  in  rebel- 
lion.    The  leaders  on  both  sides  denounced  the  „   .    . 

.  .  .  Beginnings 

atrocities  committed  by  the  lawless  soldiers,  of  the 
and  repeated  assurances  were  given  by  trust- 
worthy people  that  parliamentary  reform,  Catholic  eman- 
cipation, and  a  just  regulation  of  tithes  would  restore 
peace  and  order.  The  best  of  the  United  Irishmen,  as 
well  as  Grattan  and  others,  were  working  to  this  end, 
but  they  were  outnumbered  by  extremists  at 

Grattan  re- 

every  turn.     Thoroughly  disheartened,  Grattan   signs  from 
and  the  leading  members  of  his  party  resigned   1'*'^^^*°^®^*- 
from  parliament.     The  defeat  of  a  Dutch  fleet  sent  to 
invade  Ireland  added  further  discouragement. 

273.  Leaders  of  the  Rebellion  betrayed.  The  society 
of  United  Irishmen  by  this  time  covered  the  whole 
country,  and  had  half  a  million  members,  a  consider- 
able proportion  of  whom  were  Catholics.  The  leaders 
believed  that  the  only  course  left  for  them  was  open  re- 
bellion. They  were  far  from  realizing  that  they  were 
constantly  watched  by  government  spies,  who  reported 
all  their  decisions  to  the  DubHn  authorities.  These 
spies  knew  that  the  uprising  had  been  fixed  for  May  23, 

1798.  They  now  discovered  that  the  Leinster  delegates 
would  hold  a  meeting  on  March  12,  at  the  house  of 
Oliver  Bond,  in  Bridge  Street,  Dublin.  Here  they  broke 
in  upon  the  delegates  in  the  act  of  planning  measures 


2/8  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1798 

of  rebellion,  arrested  them,  seized  their  papers,  and 
offered  a  reward  of  a  thousand  pounds  for  the  capture 
of  Lord  Edward  Fitzgerald,  the  prime  mover  in  the  in- 
surrection. Information  was  received  that  he  was  con- 
cealed in  Dublin,  at  the  house  of  a  feather-merchant, 
and  here  he  was  surprised  and  captured,  after  a  fierce 
struggle.  He  died  of  his  wounds  before  the  day  fixed 
for  his  execution. 

274.  Beginning  of  the  Rebellion.  The  plan  that  the 
insurrection  should  break  out  in  several  places  at  once 
failed,  owing  to  mismanagement,  and  to  the  work  of  the 
spies.  On  May  24,  and  the  following  days,  Kildare, 
Wicklow,  Wexford,  Carlow,  Queen's  County,  Meath,  and 
Dublin  set  the  example,  but  the  city  of  Dublin,  being 
under  martial  law  and  full  of  soldiers,  did  not  take  part 
in  the  outbreak. 

275.  The  Rebellion  in  Wexford.  On  May  26,  an 
army  of  four  thousand  insurgents  was  completely  de- 
feated on  Tara  Hill.  The  three  principal  rebel  encamp- 
ments were  on  Vinegar  Hill,  near  Enniscorthy ;  on 
Carrickbyrne  Hill,  between  New  Ross  and  the  town  of 
Wexford ;  and  on  Carrigroe  Hill,  near  Ferns.  Most 
of  the  fighting  was  desultory,  and  accompanied  by  a 
great  deal  of  burning  and  pillaging.  The  conspicuous 
bravery  and  determination  displayed  by  the  rebels  were 
Lack  of  usually  more  than  counterbalanced  by  their 
among\Te  ^^^^  ^^  discipline  and  order.  First  one  side 
insurgents,  ^yas  victorious,  then  the  other,  in  a  series  of 
small  encounters.  The  acts  of  cruelty  which  were 
committed  on  both  sides  were  the  work  of  their  worst 
members,  trained  by  a  generation,  of  secret  societies  and 
outrages. 

Wexford,  which  was  the  scene  of  a  very  bitter  sec- 
tarian struggle,  had  risen  independently  of  the  United 


1798]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  279 

Irishmen.  Under  the  leadership  of  several  priests,  the 
Catholic  masses,  driven  to  desperation  by  the  atrocities 
of  the  militia,  retaliated  in  a  horrible  manner  on  the  Pro- 
testant population.  Father  John  Murphy,  a  Catholic 
curate,  was  the  principal  leader  in  the  fighting,  but 
sternly  discountenanced  all  outrages.  He  overcame  the 
small  force  of  cavalry  sent  against  him,  and  some  of  his 
men  set  fire  to  the  town  of  Wexford  and  murdered  two 
clerorymen.    All  the  available  militia  were  called  „  ,^ 

°^  Father 

out,  and  severe  fighting  followed  at  Oulart,  on  John 
May  27,  where  Murphy  and  his  men  were  vie-     ^^  ^' 
torious.    The  rebels  then  took  Enniscorthy,  whose  garri- 
son was  forced  to  retreat  to  Wexford. 

On  May  30,  a  body  of  insurgents  sent  out  from  Vine- 
gar Hill  routed  a  small  force  of  government  troops  at 
a  place  called  Three  Rocks,  four  miles  from  Wexford, 
and  then  proceeded  against  Wexford  itself,  which  was 
garrisoned  by  the  North  Cork  militia.  This  gar-  Desertion 
rison,  in  a  panic,  deserted  the  town  without  re-  °*  Wexford, 
sistance.  They  then  traversed  the  surrounding  country, 
burning  and  killing  as  they  went,  while  the  insurgents 
entered  the  town,  and  indulged  in  all  the  excesses  of 
mediaeval  pillage. 

On  June  i,  a  large  detachment  from  the  Carrigroe  en- 
campment attacked  the  town  of  Gorey  and  was  severely 
defeated.  But  the  insurgents  avenged  this  defeat  three 
days  later,  in  a  fight  not  far  from  Gorey,  which  left  the 
town  in  their  hands.  From  Vinegar  Hill,  on  June  2,  an 
attack  was  made  on  Newtownbarry,  but  the  insurgents 
were  repulsed.  On  June  5,  three  days  later,  Battle  of 
they  met  with  similar  misfortune  at  New  Ross.  New  Ross. 
So  fierce  was  their  first  attack,  that  the  militia,  under 
Lord  Mount]  oy,  formerly  Luke  Gardiner,  was  driven  out 
of  the  town,  but  returned  to  win  a  decisive  victory  a  few 


28o  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1798 

hours  later  when  the  insurgents  were  dispersed  through 
the  streets,  indulging  in  riotous  drinking  after  their  suc- 
cess. Between  two  and  three  thousand  of  the  rebels 
were  killed. 

276.  Attack  on  Arklow.  The  insurgents  now  pre- 
pared to  march  on  Dublin,  but,  in  order  to  do  this,  were 
forced  to  pass  through  the  lines  of  sixteen  hundred  gov- 
ernment troops  at  Arklow,  on  the  Wicklow  coast.  On 
June  9,  they  made  a  fierce  attack  on  Arklow,  which 
would  have  turned  out  badly  for  the  soldiers,  had  not  the 
insurgent  leader,  Father  Michael  Murphy,  been  killed  in 
the  fight.  This  event  so  discouraged  his  followers  that 
they  gave  up  the  idea  of  proceeding  to  Dublin. 

277.  Battle  of  Vinegar  Hill.  General  Lake,  the 
government  commander,  now  organized  an  attack  for 
June  21,  on  Vinegar  Hill,  the  chief  rebel  encampment. 
Twenty  thousand  men  were  to  approach  in  several  divi- 
insurgents  sions,  from  different  directions.  As  luck  would 
defeated.  have  it,  one  of  the  divisions  failed  to  arrive 
until  the  fighting  was  over.  The  insurgents  were  thus 
able  to  break  through  the  uncompleted  circle  of  their 
assailants,  and  retreat  southward  to  Wexford,  when  the 
combined  attack  grew  too  strong  to  be  resisted. 

This  was  the  last  stand  of  importance  in  the  Wexford 
rebellion,  for  the  insurgents  were  now  forced  to  admit 
their  inability  to  meet  the  trained  troops  of  the  govern- 
ment. They  left  Wexford,  which  was  immediately  occu- 
pied by  General  Lake,  who  court-martialed  and 
leaders  hanged  every  leader  he  could  capture.  Mat- 
executed.  ^^^^^  Keogh  and  Father  John  Murphy  were 
executed  with  the  rest,  though,  like  many  other  leaders, 
they  had  been  active  in  preventing  outrages.  Acts  of 
great  cruelty  were  now  committed  by  both  sides.  The 
soldiers  made  no  distinction   bet-ween  guilty  and  inno- 


1798]  THE    IRISH    REBELLION  281 

cent,  but  slew  all  alike,  while  bands  of  insurgents,  roam- 
ing through  the  country,  viciously  retaliated.  Within 
the  short  space  of  two  years  sixty-five  Catholic  chapels 
and  one  Protestant  church  were  destroyed  in  Leinster 
alone,  and  countless  dwellings  met  with  a  like  fate. 

278.  End  of  the  Rebellion.  The  fact  that  the  upris- 
ing did  not  occur  simultaneously  in  different  parts  of 
the  country  gave  the  government  a  decided  advantage, 
and,  in  the  north,  the  rebels  were  easily  suppressed. 
General  Lake  was  superseded  by  Lord  Cornwallis,  who 
did  his  best  to  stop  the  outrages  daily  committed  by  the 
soldiers,  and  it  is  probable  that,  had  he  been  in  command 
from  the  outset,  there  would  have  been  less  bloodshed. 

On.  August  22,  after  the  rebellion  was  ended,  help  was 
sent  from  France.     General  Humbert  and  a  thousand 
men 'landed  at  Killala,  in  Mayo,  but  they  soon  surren- 
dered to  Cornwallis,  and    were   sent  back  to  Keipfrom 
France.    Two  Irish  leaders  were  taken  at  the  arrives 
same  time  and  hanged.     These  were  Matthew  too  late. 
Tone,  brother  of  Wolfe  Tone,  and  Bartholomew  Teel- 
ing.     A  second  expedition,  in  which    Theobald    Wolfe 
Tone  took  part,  arrived  in  September,  and  was  defeated 
at  sea.     Wolfe  Tone  was  taken  prisoner   and  sentenced 
to  be  hanged.     He  begged  for  a  more  honorable  death, 
and  committed  suicide  when  this  was  refused. 

SUMMARY 

Although  Ireland  had  gained  legislative  independence,  its 
parliament  was  so  corrupt  that  little  benefit  resulted.  A  con- 
vention met  in  November,  1783,  and  drew  up  a  bill  of  reform, 
which  was  defeated  in  parliament.  This  defeat  demoralized 
the  Volunteer  movement,  which  now  became  revolutionary  in 
spirit  and  was  deserted  by  its  more  moderate  members.  An 
attempt  to  remedy  trade  conditions  was  embodied  in  Orde's 


282  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1798 

Bill,  1785,  and  likewise  defeated.  The  abuses  of  the  tithe- 
proctors  increased,  as  did  the  number  of  lawless  secret  soci- 
eties among  the  peasants.  In  1791,  Wolfe  Tone  founded  the 
society  of  "  United  Irishmen,"  whose  members  were  men  of 
all  denominations.  At  the  "  Back  Lane  Parliament,"  in  1792, 
a  petition  was  drawn  up  praying  for  the  removal  of  a  number 
of  penal  laws  against  the  Catholics,  but  in  1795  a  bill  for 
Catholic  emancipation  was  defeated. 

Discontent  grew,  the  country  was  full  of  paid  spies,  secta- 
rian riots  were  frequent,  and  finally  a  rebellion  was  planned. 
On  March  12,  1798,  the  leaders  of  this  movement  were  de- 
feated and  captured.  The  main  action  of  the  rebellion  took 
place  in  Wexford,  where  the  insurgents  were  led  by  John 
Murphy,  a  priest.  Help  from  France  arrived  too  late,  and 
the  rebellion  was  presently  put  down,  with  great  cruelty  and 
bloodshed. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 


LEGISLATIVE    UNION    WITH    ENGLAND 

1800-1801 

English  Sovereign:  George  III,  1760-1820 

279.  William  Pitt's  scheme.  In  the  summer  of 
1798,  the  English  Cabinet,  of  which  WilHam  Pitt  and  the 
Duke  of  Portland  were  the  most  influential  members, 

conceived  „    ^  „  ^ 

To  aboUsb 
a  plan   for  thoiiisix 

IT,.  Parliament, 

abolishing 

the  Irish  Parliament 
and  uniting  the  legis- 
lative bodies  of  the 
two  countries.  This 
had  long  been  a  fa- 
vorite scheme  of  Pitt, 
^  and  events  in  Ireland 
during  the  past  few 
years  convinced  him 
that  the  time  was 
favorable  for  carry- 
ing it  out.  This 
statesman  is  justly 
credited  by  histori- 
ans with  having  had 
very  benevolent  in- 
tentions toward  Ire- 
land, including  a  plan  to  emancipate  the  Catholics  and 


WILLIAM    PITT,    THE   YOUNGER 
1759-1806 


284  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1798 

establish  a  uniform  system  of  laws  over  the  whole  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  His  methods,  however,  were 
more  than  questionable. 

Every  one  in  England  admitted  that  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment could  not  be  abolished  without  its  own  consent. 
It  was  also  admitted  that  this  body,  corrupt  though  it 
was,  was  not  corrupt  enough  readily  to  accept  Pitt's  plans 
for  its  extinction.  In  1798,  the  Marquis  of  Corn- 
corn-  wallis  was  lord  lieutenant,   and    Lord    Castle- 

Tstem^of  ^eagh  was  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland,  and  to 
bribery.  these  two  men  Pitt  intrusted  the  execution  of 
his  scheme.  Though  hating  the  part  he  was  forced  to 
play,  Cornwallis  lost  no  time.  He  sounded  the  Irish 
Cabinet  and  the  Dublin  barristers  on  the  subject  of 
Union,  and  dismissed  those  officials  who  opposed  the 
idea.  A  grand  system  of  corruption  was  organized,  in 
order  to  insure  a  parliamentary  majority,  when  the  mat- 
ter came  before  the  House.  Bribes,  pensions,  and  titles 
were  openly  given  to  those  who  promised  to  vote  for  the 
government's  scheme.  Cornwallis  asked  for  and  received 
from  England  thousands  of  pounds  of  ready  money, 
which  sums  were  later  added  to  the  national  debt  of  Ire- 
land, so  that  the  larger  country  did  not  suffer.  These 
determined  measures  caused  great  alarm,  for  it  was  real- 
ized that  if  the  Union  became  a  fact,  the  three  hundred 
members  of  parliament  would  be  reduced  to  one  third, 
and  members  were  afraid  of  losing  their  seats  and  the 
opportunities  of  profit  which  these  seats  gave  them. 
An  outline  of  the  scheme  of  Union  was  circulated 
among  the  people  throughout  the  whole  country,  and 
the  rebellion  was  allowed  to  smoulder  on,  in  order  to 
promote  local  and  class  differences,  and  thus  to  weaken 
possible  opposition. 

The  country  was  now  thoroughly  aroused,  and  riots 


1799]       LEGISLATIVE  UNION  WITH   ENGLAND      285 

broke  out  in  several  places.  The  people  looked  on  the 
proposed  loss  of  their  parliament  as  an  indignity  attitude  oi 
to  the  nation,  and  numerous  petitions  poured  the  people, 
in  daily  to  parliament,  condemning  the  contemplated 
Union  in  the  strongest  terms.  It  was  feared  by  the  au- 
thorities that  the  riots  might  once  more  extend,  and 
become  a  rebellion,  and  English  troops  were  landed  to 
inspire  fear.  The  men  at  the  head  of  the  Union  move- 
ment were  determined  to  carry  their  measure  at  all 
costs. 

280.  Union  scheme  presented  to  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment. The  eventful  day,  January  22,  1799,  arrived,  and 
Lord  Cornwallis  delivered  the  speech  frorn  the  throne 
in  the  Irish  House  of  Lords.  He  announced  his  hopes 
that  both  parliaments  would  unite,  and  consolidate  as 
far  as  possible  the  resources  of  the  realm.  Excitement 
ran  high,  and  Cornwallis  was  immediately  answered  by 
patriotic  Irishmen,  who  condemned  any  such  scheme 
in  the  strongest  terms.  During  the  debate  in  Excited 
the  House  of  Commons,  which  lasted  all  night  debate. 
long,  Ponsonby  delivered  an  address  in  which  he  ap- 
pealed for  support  to  national  pride  and  independence. 
He  closed  with  the  words,  "  maintaining,  however,  the 
undoubted  birthright  of  the  people  of  Ireland  to  have 
a  resident  and  independent  legislature,  such  as  it  was 
recognized  by  the  British  legislature  in  1782,  and  was 
finally  settled  at  the  adjustment  of  all  differences  be- 
tween the  two  countries."  (See  section  257.)  Plunket, 
with  eloquence  almost  equal  to  that  of  Grattan,  de- 
nounced the  "  system  of  black  corruption  "  carried  on 
to  undermine  the  constitution  and  influence  votes.  The 
country  gentlemen  spoke  warmly  against  the  measure, 
and  the  result  was  that,  on  the  evening  of  January  24, 
a  motion  was  made  to  strike  out  the  clause  concerning 


286  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1799 

the  Union  from  the  speech  from  the  throne.     When  a 

division  was   taken,  the  votes    numbered    106 
union 

measure  for  the  government  and  1 1 1  for  the  Irish  con- 
stitution. The  Speaker,  John  Foster,  was  car- 
ried home  in  triumph,  and  DubUnwas  illuminated  by  the 
enthusiastic  people.  But  Sir  John  Parnell,  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  and  Fitzgerald,  the  Prime  Sergeant, 
who  had  opposed  the  Union,  were  summarily  dismissed 
from  office. 

281.  More  bribery.  On  January  31,  1799,  Pitt 
brought  forward  the  scheme  of  Union  in  the  English 
House  of  Commons.  In  his  speech  he  strove  to  prove 
that  the  settlement  of  1782  (see  section  257),  when  the 
Pitt  and  ^ct  of  Repeal  gave  Ireland  an  independent 
Sheridan,  parliament,  was  not  final.  Richard  Brinsley 
Sheridan,  the  dramatist,  and  Foster,  the  Speaker  of  the 
Irish  House,  vehemently  opposed  him. 

Both  parties  now  did  their  utmost  to  gain  adherents 
for  the  struggle  in  the  next  Irish  session.  The  govern- 
ment employed  every  possible  means  to  corrupt  the  re- 
presentatives of  the  people,  trying  in  all  ways  to  bring 
round  the  most  formidable  leaders  of  the  opposition,  and 
spending  freely  the  sum  of  ^1,260,000,  placed  at  its  dis- 
posal, for  purposes  of  bribery  and  corruption.  The  lord 
lieutenant  made  tours  through  different  parts  of  the 
country  to  obtain  declarations  in  favor  of  the  Union. 
Eighty-four  boroughs  were  bought  outright.  To  secure 
a  majority  in  the  Irish  House  of  Lords,  twenty-eight 
new  peers  were  created,  and  thirty-two  received  higher 
titles. 

282.  Attitude  of  the  Catholics.  The  position  of  the 
Catholics  during  the  struggle  was  well  defined.  The 
great  majority  of  them  opposed  the  Union  altogether. 
There  was,  however,  a  small  Catholic  party  which  fa- 


i8oo]     LEGISLATIVE   UNIOxN   WITH   ENGLAND       28/ 

vored  the  English  connection,  but  they  had  no  influence. 
The  CathoHcs  had  nothing  to  gain  from  union  with  Eng- 
land, whose  sovereign  was  opposed  to  them,  and  whose 
parliament  excluded  them.  In  Ireland,  on  the  contrary, 
they  had  received  the  franchise,  and  the  Irish  Parliament 
had  removed  a  good  many  of  their  burdens.  In  Hostile  to 
the  beginning,  Cornwallis  had  counted  on  Cath-  union, 
olic  support,  but  as  early  as  1798  he  was  forced  to  change 
his  opinion,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  quotation  from 
his  letter  to  Major-General  Ross:  "The  opposition  to 
the  Union  increases  daily,  in  and  about  Dublin,  and  I  am 
afraid,  from  conversations  which  I  have  held  with  persons 
much  connected  with  them,  that  I  was  too  sanguine 
when  I  hoped  for  the  good  inclinations  of  the  Catholics. 
Their  disposition  is  so  completely  alienated  from  the 
British  government  that  I  believe  they  would  be  tempted 
to  join  with  their  bitterest  enemies,  the  Protestants  of 
Ireland,  if  they  thought  that  measure  would  lead  to  a 
total  separation  of  the  two  countries."  This  hostile  atti- 
tude of  the  Catholics  was  confirmed  at  a  great  meeting 
held  January  14,  1800,  at  which  a  new  leader  made  his 
first  speech.  Daniel  O'Connell  said  :  "  If  emancipation 
be  offered  for  our  consent  to  the  measure  of  Union  — 
even  if  emancipation  after  the  Union  were  a  gain  —  we 
would  reject  it  with  prompt  indignation."  He  went  so 
far  as  to  add  that  he  would  prefer  a  renewal  of  the  penal 
laws,  and  ''would  rather  confide  in  the  justice  of  my 
brethren  the  Protestants  of  Ireland,  who  have  already 
liberated  me,  than  lay  my  country  at  the  feet  of  for- 
eigners." 

283.  Daniel  O'Connell.  Daniel  O'Connell  was  a 
young  patriot,  who  now  began  to  come  into  prominence 
and  popularity,  and  prepared  to  continue  the  work  Grat- 
tan  had  begun.     He  was  born  in   1775,  at  Carhan,  near 


288 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1800 


DANIEL   O'CONNELL 

1775-1847 

From  the  portrait  painted  for  the  former  Catholic  Association  of  Ireland 


Cahersiveen,  on  one  of  the  Kerry  promontories  that 
stretch  far  into  the  Atlantic.  O'Connell  came  of  one  of 
the  oldest  Gaelic  families,  and  represented  the  pure 
native  stock.  He  had  been  educated  partly  in  Ireland, 
partly  in  France,  whither  so  many  Irish  Catholics  went 
to  seek  opportunities  of  learning  which  they  were  denied 
in  Ireland.  He  was  called  to  the  bar  in  the  year  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  at  once  began  to  make  a  reputation  as  a 


i8oo]     LEGISLATIVE   UNION  WITH   ENGLAND       289 

brilliant  lawyer,  and  an  eloquent  advocate,  and  later  as 
spokesman  of  the  Catholic  party.  A  devout  Catholic 
himself,  and  thoroughly  Irish  in  every  instinct  and  feel- 
ing, he  was  determined  that  the  ancient  church  of  his 
nation  should  no  longer  lie  under  the  ban  of  the  law. 
In  his  personal  dealings  he  had  gained  a  reputation  for 
entire  uprightness,  and  his  fine  legal  training  gave  him 
an  additional  advantage.  During  the  whole  of  the  agita- 
tion which  he  led,  he  not  only  shunned  all  excesses,  but 
even  avoided  the  smallest  irregularity,  and  thus  gave  his 
English  opponents  no  opportunity  to  thwart  his  work  by 
prosecution.  His  incessant  watchfulness  and  legal  keen- 
ness were  wonderful. 

284.  Act  of  Union  passed,  August  1, 1800.  Mean- 
while, the  government,  ignoring  every  protest,  was  land- 
ing thousands  of  English    soldiers,  and  increasing  the 


IRISH    PARLIAMENT    HOUSE,    DUBLIN,    180O 

practice  of  wholesale  bribery  and  unfair  dismissal  from 
office.  There  was  a  call  for  more  secret  service  money 
from  England,  early  in  1800,  and  Cornwallis  did  not 
hesitate  to  tempt  even  the  stanchest  patriots. 

The  Irish  Parliament  met  for  the  last  time  on  January 
15,  1800,  with  the  newly  purchased  members  in  their 
seats.  The  viceroy  avoided  mentioning  the  Union  in 
the  speech  from  the  throne,  but  Parsons,  Plunket,  Pon- 
sonby,  Moore,  and  Bushe  stated  and  upheld  the  case 
against  the  Union  in  succession.     In  the  midst  of  the 


290  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1800 

discussion,  Grattan  entered.  He  had  risen  from  a  bed 
Lastses-  of  sickness  to  appear  once  more  on  behalf  of 
irish°Par-^  his  country,  and,  clad  in  the  uniform  of  the 
uament.  Volunteers,  he  addressed  the  House.  With  a 
return  to  his  old  eloquence  and  fire,  he  exhorted  parlia- 
ment to  uphold  the  constitution,  so  that,  when  the  vote 
was  taken,  the  government  had  a  majority  of  only  thirty- 
eight.  In  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  Patriotic  party, 
the  bill  was  finally  passed,  first  through  the  Commons, 
and  then  through  the  Lords,  where  the  government's 
majority  numbered  three  to  one.  On  August  i,  1800, 
King  George  signed  the  bill,  and  the  Act  of  Union  became 
law,  coming  into  force  on  January  i,  1801,  the  first  day 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Its  main  provisions  were  as 
follows  :  — 

1.  The  two  kingdoms  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to 
be  one,  under  the  title  of  "  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland." 

2.  The  Irish  representation  in  the  united  Parliament 
was  to  be  one  hundred  members  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, and  thirty-two  in  the  House  of  Lords  ;  four  of 
these  peers  were  to  be  Protestant  bishops,  while  the 
remaining  twenty-eight  were  to  be  elected  from  the 
whole  body  of  Irish  peers. 

3.  Regulations  as  to  trade  and  commerce  were  to  be 
the  same  for  all  subjects  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

4.  The  Irish  Established  Church  was  to  be  contin- 
ued forever,  and  to  be  united  with  the  Church  of 
England. 

5.  Ireland  was  held  responsible  for  two  seventeenths 
of  the  expenditure  of  the  United  Kingdom  for  twenty 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  a  new  arrangement 
would  be  considered.  Each  country  was  to  retain  its 
own  national  debt,  but  all  future  debts  were  to  be  in 


i8oi]     LEGISLATIVE   UNION   WITH   ENGLAND       291 

common,  and  to  be  borne  by  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
in  the  ratio  of  seventeen  to  two. 

285.  Results  of  the  Union.  So  much  for  the  Union, 
which  was  now  an  accomplished  fact.  Fox,  in  1806, 
characterized  it  as  ''  atrocious  in  its  principles  and  abom- 
inable in  its  means."  Gladstone,  at  a  later  day,  con- 
demned it  no  less  violently.  '' I  know,"  he  said,  "no 
blacker  or  fouler  transaction  in  the  history  of  man  than 
the  making  of  the  Union  between  England  and  Ire- 
land." Pitt,  whatever  his  real  views  may  have  been, 
declared  it  in  the  House  of  Commons  to  be  a  Union 
*'by  free  consent,  and  on  just  and  equal  terms."  The 
Union  was  intended  by  its  promoters  to  remedy  three 
evils  :  religious  divisions,  unfair  balance  of  legislative 
power,  and  commercial  inequalities.  For  two  genera- 
tions after  1800  the  Catholics  and  Protestants  were  no 
closer  friends  ;  the  national  debt  of  Ireland  has  risen 
abnormally,  and  she  is  admittedly  overtaxed  in  compari- 
son with  England,  as  she  has  less  than  two  seventeenths 
of  the  population  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  is  the 
poorest  section  besides.  The  new  arrangement,  to  be 
made  after  twenty  years,  was  never  carried  out.  Free 
trade  is  in  force,  but  all  Irishmen  do  not  admit  its  ad- 
vantage. 

But  after  the  Union  was  a  fact,  even  the  stanchest 
patriots  did  not  advocate  its  repeal,  which  would  have 
meant  rebellion  and  chaos.  The  attitude  of  these  men 
during  the  twenty-nine  years  between  the  Union  and 
Catholic  emancipation,  the  goal  towards  which  most  of 
them  were  working,  is  especially  interesting.  An  echo 
of  the  Rebellion  of  1798  was  heard  in  Robert  Emmet's 
insurrection  in  1803,  but  this  uprising  came  to  nothing, 
and  its  leader  was  hanged. 


292  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1801 

SUMMARY 

William  Pitt,  the  prime  minister  of  England,  had  long  had 
a  plan  to  abolish  the  Irish  Parliament  and  unite  the  two 
countries  under  one  parliament  in  England.  In  1798,  he 
directed  Cornwallis,  the  lord  lieutenant,  to  carry  out  this 
scheme.  The  entire  country  was  hostile  to  it,  but  by  means 
of  unlimited  bribery,  in  spite  of  the  strong  opposition  of 
Catholics  and  patriots,  a  parliament  was  finally  assembled 
which  voted  to  abolish  itself,  and  the  Act  of  Union  was 
signed  by  George  III  on  August  i,  1800,  and  came  into  force 
on  January  i,  1801. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

CATHOLIC  EMANCIPATION 

1801-1829 

English  Sovereigns  : 

George  III,  1 760-1820         George  IV,  1820-1830 

286.  The  combined  parliament.  On  January  22, 
1 80 1,  the  new  combined  parliament  met  at  Westminster, 
counting  among  its  members  one  hundred  from  Ireland, 
who  were  too  few  to  form  a  strong  opposition.  There 
had  been  vague  promises  about  Catholic  emancipation 
after  the  Union,  but  England  practically  ignored  Irish 
interests  altogether.  Such  laws  as  the  Irish  Insurrec- 
tion Act,  the  Suspension  of  the  Habeas  Cor- 

More 

pus  Act,  the  Martial  Continuation  Act,  and  oppressive 
a  series  of  Coercion  Acts,  all  of  an  unjustly  ™®^^^®*- 
oppressive  nature,  were  passed,  and  the  misery  and 
desolation  of  the  country  increased.  England  was  ab- 
sorbed in  the  struggle  against  Napoleon,  and  had  no 
time  to  undertake  serious  constructive  measures  in  the 
new  territory  brought  within  the  jurisdiction  of  her 
parliament  by  the  Act  of  Union.  Besides,  the  real  con- 
dition of  Ireland  was  unknown,  and  it  was  to  no  one's 
interest  to  find  out  the  truth.  It  was  generally  granted 
that  the  emancipation  of  the  Catholics  from  the  various 
legal  disabilities  and  penalties  under  which  they  had 
suffered  since  the  days  of  Henry  VIII  was  expedient, 
but  the  English  ministry  allowed  itself  to  be  overruled 


294  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1808 

by  the  ignorance,  prejudice,  and  bigotry  of  George  III, 
who  was  determined  to  treat  Ireland  as  he  had  wished 
to  treat  America. 

287.  New  plan  for  appointment  of  bishops.  Shortly 
after  the  Union,  a  small  section  of  the  Catholics,  includ- 
ing several  of  the  bishops,  decided  that,  in  return  for 
emancipation,  it  might  be  well  to  concede  to  the  English 
crown  the  right  of  veto  in  the  appointment  of  Catholic 
bishops ;  that  is,  after  a  bishop  had  been  selected  by  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities,  his  name  should  be  submitted 
to  the  king,  who  might  refuse  to  confirm  the  appoint- 
ment, when  another  choice  would  be  made.  The  major- 
ity of  the    Catholics  were  unaware  of   this   plan,   and 

would  never  have  consented  to  it.  It  was  first 
brought  to  their  notice  in  1808,  by  a  petition 
drawn  up  by  Grattan  and  others.  The  greatest  indigna- 
tion was  aroused  at  the  thought  of  buying  emancipation 
by  such  a  surrender  of  religious  principle ;  for  this 
would  have  been  equivalent  to  admitting  the  claim  of  the 
sovereign  of  England  to  be  head  of  the  Church  within 
his  dominions,  the  very  question  contested  since  the 
days  of  Henry  VIII.  But  the  scheme  was  doomed  to 
failure  in  any  case,  for  the  English  government  refused 
to  consider  the  proposal. 

288.  Evils  of  the  existing  land  system.  Great  as 
was  the  need  for  emancipation,  it  was  as  nothing  com- 
pared to  the  distress  and  suffering  caused  by  the  de- 
plorable social  and  economic  condition  of  the  country. 
The  relations  between  landlord  and  tenant  were  worse 
than  at  any  past  time,  and  every  year  brought  new  and 
heavier  taxes,  instead  of  lessening  the  burdens  which 
the  people  already  bore.  Each  man  in  the  long  series 
of  middlemen,  as  well  as  the  tenant  and  the  landlord  at 
the  two  ends  of  the  series,  had  to  gain  a  profit  from  the 


i8o8]  CATHOLIC    EMANCIPATION  295 

same  acre  of  land,  and  no   one  was   willing  to   spend 
money  on  improvino^  the  qualitv  of  the  land. 

Tr    .     1  111  1  .        .        ,  ^  No  attempt 

It  It  be  asked  why,  the  answer  is  smiple.  The  to  improve 
tenant  held  his  land  from  year  to  year,  at  the  *^®^^'^- 
will  of  the  landlord,  and,  if  he  made  improvements,  and 
so  increased  the  value  of  the  land,  he  would  be  called  on 
to  pay  a  greater  rent,  or  leave  his  holding.  The  middle- 
men would  not  make  improvements,  because  whoever 
stood  next  above  them  in  the  scale  of  extortion  would 
immediately  have  demanded  a  greater  payment.  The 
landlord  made  no  improvements,  because  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  think  of  himself  as  a  man  with  rights  and 
privileges,  and  never  as  a  man  with  duties  and  obliga- 
tions. The  result  was,  that  a  piece  of  land  was  allowed 
to  go  from  bad  to  worse,  and  was  finally  rented,  for  an 
excessive  sum,  to  a  peasant  so  poor  that  he  could  not 
improve  it  in  any  way,  and  could  barely  make  a  starva- 
tion wage  for  himself  and  his  family. 

In  England,  the  landlord  was  the  agricultural  partner 
of  his  tenant,  investing  large  sums  of  money  in  improve- 
ments, such  as  drains,  fences,   out-houses,  and   „    ,, 

'  '  '  Conditions 

SO  forth  ;  so  that  the  value  of  the  land  steadily  in  England 
rose.  But  nothing  of  the  kind  existed  in  Ire-  ^°^^"^  • 
land.  Frequently  whole  towns  were  owned  by  one  man, 
who  thus  had  it  in  his  power  to  exact  what  rents  he 
pleased.  At  the  time  of  the  Union,  the  population  of 
Ireland  amounted  to  about  four  and  a  half  mil-  subdivision 
lions.  It  now  began  to  increase  rapidly.  The  °*^^^^- 
landlords  permitted,  and  even  encouraged,  extreme  sub- 
division of  land,  so  that  they  might  collect  rents  from 
as  many  tenants  as  possible. 

The  peasants  came  to  grow  potatoes  more  and  more 
exclusively,  since  this  was  the  cheapest  crop,  and  that 
which  most  easily  sustained  life  without  further  outlay. 


296  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1808 

It  is  recorded  that  often  during  this  time  the  poor  pea- 
sant  would  plant    his  potatoes   at  the  proper 
Potatoes  the  .\,  i   ^      17      i       j    .  1 

only  food  of    season,  and  then  go  oft  to  England  to  work 

peasants.  £^^  some  English  farmer,  and  so  try  to  make 
a  little  money.  Meanwhile,  his  family  was  left  almost 
penniless,  to  beg  or  borrow.  He  would  come  back  in 
time  to  dig  his  potato  crop  in  the  autumn,  and  in  this 
way  he  could  earn  more  than  by  growing  corn  and  a 
variety  of  crops.  Then  we  must  not  forget  the  innumer- 
able taxes  he  had  to  pay,  and  the  repeated  injustice  he 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  middlemen  and  tax-gather- 
ers. It  was  nothing  unusual  for  a  peasant  to  be  forced 
to  pay  rent  twice  over,  to  different  middlemen,  both 
claiming  the  same  piece  of  ground,  and  to  have  his  cattle 
sold  before  his  eyes,  if  he  resisted  these  demands.  All 
this  was  known  to  parliament,  or  at  least  ought  to  have 
been  known,  since  it  had  all  been  graphically  described 
by  Irish  members.     But  no  notice  was  taken  of  it. 

289.  Financial  condition  of  the  country.  Fur- 
thermore, all  through  the  period  of  strife  which  had  just 
ended,  prices  had  steadily  gone  up,  and,  with  them,  the 
rent  of  land  had  increased.  The  Act  of  1778  (see  sec- 
tion 249),  granting  to  Catholics  the  right  "to  take,  hold, 
and  dispose  of  lands  in  the  same  manner  as  Protestants," 
had  greatly  stimulated  agriculture.  With  the  freedom 
of  the  Irish  Parliament,  commerce  and  manufactures 
had  begun  to  thrive.  The  Rebellion  had  only  slightly 
checked  this  growing  prosperity,  while  the  Union,  on 
the  other  hand,  dealt  a  severe  blow  to  Irish 

Union 

destroys  industries.  A  chief  cause  of  this  was  the  re- 
moval of  the  import  duties  which  had  pro- 
tected Irish  manufactures.  Commissions  were  appointed 
to  investigate  matters  and  suggest  remedies,  but  they 
never  did  anything  beyond  holding  formal  and  ineffect- 


i8i5]  CATHOLIC    EMANCIPATION  297 

ive  meetings.  The  Poor  Laws  were  not  in  existence 
at  that  time,  and  those  places  of  refuge  for  the  destitute 
and  starving  which  are  called  poor-houses  did  not  then 
exist. 

The  battle  of  Waterloo  in  June,  181 5,  put  an  end  to 
the  long  war  between  England  and  France.  Peace  was 
established,  and  with  it  came  a  general  fall  in  the  price 
of  food,  which  meant  serious  loss  to  the  farm-  Qj^at  fan 
ers.  The  latter  had  been  receiving  high  prices  ^^vrioes. 
for  their  produce,  which  was  bought  by  the  contending 
governments  for  the  armies  in  the  field.  With  peace, 
and  the  disbanding  of  armies,  the  farmers  lost  their  best 
customers,  and  had  to  sell  at  much  lower  prices,  in  order 
to  find  a  buyer  at  all.  Moreover,  the  returned  soldiers 
greatly  increased  the  number  of  applicants  for  work,  and 
thus  lowered  the  rate  of  wages  which  it  was  possible  to 
obtain.  These  two  causes  directly  affected  Ireland.  The 
farmers  were  unable  to  sell  their  produce  for  remunera- 
tive prices,  and  were  compelled  to  pay  the  same  rents  as 
before. 

290.  O'Connell  and  emancipation.  Let  us  now  turn 
again  to  the  question  of  emancipation,  which  was  upper- 
most in  every  patriot's  mind.  Daniel  O'Connell  had  been 
for  years  working  so  quietly  that  his  existence  was  hardly 
suspected  by  the  opponents  of  Catholic  emancipation  in 
England.  His  watchwords  were  ''Forward!  "  and  "To- 
gether !  "  and  he  strove  to  remove  the  jealousies  between 
different  sections  and  localities  which  have  always  been 
a  cause  of  weakness  to  Ireland,  and  to  counteract  the 
hunger  for  government  positions  and  promotion  which 
demoralized  so  many  weak-kneed  patriots.  The  national 
life  of  Ireland  was  always  foremost  in  his  thoughts,  and 
he  saw  clearly  that  that  life  could  never  find  its  true 
development  while  the  Catholics,  who  formed  the  great 


298 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


[1820 


mass  of  the  population,  were  kept  down  by  legal  disabil- 
ities, oppressed,  and  neglected.  In  this  work  he  was 
ably  seconded  by  Richard  Lalor  Sheil,  almost  as  great 
an  orator  as  himself.  Grattan,  now  a  very  old  man 
and  worn  out  after  his  active  life,  died  in  London,  1820. 
In  him  Ireland  lost  the  greatest  and  noblest  Protestant 
upholder  of  Catholic  rights. 

291.  The  Catholic  Association  of  Ireland.     In  1823, 
under   the   leadership  of  O'Connell,   with  the   help  of 

Sheil  and  a  few 
others,  a  meeting 
was  called  in  an  old 
inn  in  the  main 
thoroughfare  of 
Dublin,  then  called 
Sackville  Street, 
but  since  named 
after  O'Connell. 
Here  a  new  society 
was  formed  called 
the  ''  Catholic  As- 
sociation of  Ire- 
land," which  car- 
ried on  the  work 
of  the  old  Catholic 
Committee.  (See 
section  244.)  In 
order  to  evade  the 
Convention  Act  of 
1796  (see  section 
269),  it  was  decided  not  to  make  it  a  representative  body 
to  which  delegates  were  sent,  and  not  to  limit  its  mem- 
bership to  Catholics.  The  aim  of  the  society  was  stated 
to  be  the  adoption  "  of  all  such  legal  and  constitutional 


RICHARD    LALOR    SHEIL 
1791-18S1 


i828]  CATHOLIC   EMANCIPATION  299 

measures  as  may  be  most  useful  to  obtain  Catholic 
emancipation."  Before  long  the  influence  of  ^^ 
the  Catholic  Association  had  spread  all  over  Ire-  iattuence. 
land.  O'Connell  and  Shell  worked  indefatigably.  Many 
Protestants,  who,  like  Grattan,  favored  emancipation, 
joined  the  new  society,  and  its  membership  increased 
so  rapidly  that  the  English  government  and  parliament 
soon  took  notice  of  it,  and  viewed  its  activities  with 
suspicion  and  dislike.  An  act  was  passed  in  1825  aimed 
at  its  destruction,  but  O'Connell  had  been  so  careful 
to  avoid  anything  that  savored  of  illegality  that  no  pre- 
text was  found  for  instituting  prosecutions.  Meanwhile, 
in  Waterford  and  certain  other  cities,  the  Association  had 
so  far  influenced  public  opinion  that  Protestants  favoring 
emancipation  were  elected  to  the  English  Parliament. 
This  result  was  chiefly  due  to  the  votes  of  the  class 
called  forty-shilling  freeholders,  that  is,  tenants  who  had 
a  freehold  lease  for  many  years,  or  for  life,  of  a  holding 
worth  forty  shillings  a  year  above  the  amount  of  the 
rent.  These  long  leases  made  them  independent  of  the 
landlords,  who  would  otherwise  have  threatened  them 
with  eviction  for  voting  in  favor  of  a  measure  so  distaste- 
ful to  the  landlord  class. 

292.  Catholics  contest  elections.  At  this  time  it  was 
not  illegal  to  elect  Catholics  to  parliament,  but  the  elec- 
tion was  practically  null  and  void,  owing  to  the  oath 
which  a  member  was  compelled  to  take  before  he  could 
claim  his  seat  in  parliament.  This  oath  contained 
a  declaration  that  the  chief  doctrines  of  the  Catholic 
Church  were  false,  and,  as  no  Catholic  could  consci- 
entiously take  the  oath,  it  was  as  effectual  a  bar  as  any 
statute  of  penal  days.  One  of  the  patriots,  Keogh's 
John  Keogh  by  name,  formed  a  plan  for  p^^- 
drawing  attention  to  the  absurdity  of   this  regulation. 


300  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1828 

He  suggested  that  a  Catholic  member  should  be  elected 
for  an  Irish  constituency,  should  present  himself  at  the 
bar  of  the  House  and  refuse  to  take  the  oath.  An 
opportunity  occurred  in  1828.  Mr.  Vesey  Fitzgerald,  who 
represented  Clare  in  parliament,  accepted  the  office  of 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  It  is  the  rule  of  the 
English  Constitution  that  when  a  member  of  parliament 
accepts  office,  he  must  resign  his  seat,  return  to  his 
constituents  and  seek  reelection,  as  a  sign  that  they 
approve  his  appointment  to  office.  When  Fitzgerald 
came  to  Clare  to  seek  reelection,  it  was  decided  that 
O'Conneii  Daniel  O'Connell  himself  should  oppose  him, 
elected.  ^nd  as  Clare  was  in  his  native  province  and 
close  to  his  birthplace  he  had  little  difficulty  in  gaining 
the  support  of  the  voters.  The  landlords  strenuously 
opposed  him,  but  the  tenants  took  his  part,  and  he 
was  elected  by  an  immense  majority.  His  example  was 
followed  by  prominent  Catholics  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  who,  with  the  aid  of  the  Catholic  Association, 
prepared  to  contest  a  number  of  elections. 

293.  Emancipation  Act  passed  March  30,  1829. 
When  it  became  evident  that  a  number  of  Irish  Cath- 
olics would  be  returned  to  parliament,  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  and  Sir  Robert  Peel,  then  the  dominant 
figures  in  English  public  life,  were  thoroughly  alarmed. 
Wellington  himself  saw  that  the  choice  lay  between 
emancipation  and  civil  war,  and  expressed  his  view  with 
his  usual  clearness  and  determination.  Sir  Robert  Peel 
introduced  a  bill  granting  Catholic  emancipation,  which 
was  carried  on  March  30,  1829,  after  a  stormy  discus- 
sion lasting  for  three  days.  A  fortnight  later  King 
George  IV  affixed  his  signature  to' the  bill,  and  the  Act 
of  Catholic  Emancipation,  the  first  step  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Ireland,  became  law. 


1S29]  CATHOLIC   EMANCIPATION  301 

294.  O'Connell  and  the  parliament.  The  Eman- 
cipation Act  made  provisions  for  the  admission  to  the 
House  of  Commons  of  CathoHc  members  elected  after 
April  13,  the  day  on  which  the  bill  was  signed  by  the 
king.  O'Connell  had  been  elected  some  time  before  this  ; 
he  was  therefore  not  eligible  under  the  new  provision. 
Nevertheless,  he  presented  himself  at  the  bar  of  the 
House,  and  the  oath  in  its  old  objectionable  form 
was  placed  before  him.  He  read  it,  declared  that  it 
contained  statements  which  he  knew  to  be  false,  and 
refused  to  take  it.  He  was  compelled  in  consequence 
to  return  to  Clare  and  seek  reelection,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  returned  to  parliament  after  the  date  of  the 
signing  of  the  act.  O'Connell  soon  returned  in  triumph 
to  Westminster,  took  the  new  oath  provided  by  the 
Act  of  1829,  and,  though  a  Catholic,  became  a  lawful 
member  of  the  English  Parliament. 

295.  Further  concessions  to  Catholics.  It  was  fur- 
ther provided  that  Catholics  should  be  admitted  equally 
with  Protestants  to  all  civil  and  military  offices  in  the 
realm,  with  three  exceptions.  A  Catholic  could  not  be 
appointed  regent,  lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland,  or  lord 
chancellor.  It  was  provided,  of  course,  by  the  English 
Act  of  Settlement  that  the  sovereign  must  be  a  Pro- 
testant, and  the  English  coronation  oath  still  contains 
clauses  very  objectionable  to  Catholics. 

In  order  to  diminish  as  far  as  possible  the  strength 
of  the  Irish  Catholics,  the  English  government  decided 
to  take  away  the  votes  of  the  forty-shilling  freeholders 
who  constituted  the  main  support  of  the  Catholic  party. 
The  franchise  was  therefore  raised  from  forty  shillings, 
or  two  pounds,  to  ten  pounds  in  Ireland,  though  the  lower 
rate  was  retained  in  England. 


302  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1829 

SUMMARY 

As  soon  as  England  had  accomplished  the  Union  and 
destroyed  the  power  of  the  Irish  Parliament,  she  passed 
further  oppressive  measures.  The  social  and  economic 
conditions  of  Ireland  were  as  bad  as  can  be  imagined,  and 
the  greatest  suffering  fell  upon  the  peasantry  on  account 
of  the  evils  of  the  land  system.  The  Union  had  destroyed  all 
industries,  and  now  prices  fell  until  the  country  was  bankrupt. 

Grattan  died  in  1820  and  was  succeeded  by  Daniel  O'Con- 
nell,  a  Catholic,  as  leader  of  the  Patriotic  Party.  O'Connell 
bent  all  his  energies  towards  securing  emancipation,  which 
was  the  first  step  toward  remedying  the  evils  of  the  time.  He 
formed  the  "Catholic  Association  of  Ireland"  in  1823, 
whose  influence  grew  until  the  English  government  became 
thoroughly  alarmed.  Catholics  now  took  a  bold  stand  and 
systematically  contested  elections,  with  the  result  that  Eng- 
land was  forced  to  grant  the  Act  of  Emancipation,  March  30, 
1829.  O'Connell  and  other  Catholics  became  members  of 
parliament.  Catholics  were  further  admitted  to  all  but  the 
highest  offices.  The  franchise  was  raised  from  forty  shil- 
lings to  ten  pounds. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII 
FROM    EMANCIPATION    TO    THE    FAMINE 

1829-1847 

English  Sovereigns  : 

George  IV,  1820-1830        William  IV,  1830-1837 
Victoria,  1837-1901 

296.    The   National  School  System.     As   soon   as 

the  fight  for  emancipation  was  gained,  and  the  Irish 
Catholics  were  represented    in  parliament,  the  leading 


MAYNOOTH    COLLEGE    IN    1821 


men  of  Ireland  turned  their  attention  to  securing  other 
much  needed  reforms,  first  of  which  was  suitable  school 
training  for  the  masses.     For  centuries  the  children  of 


304  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1831 

Ireland  had  been  deprived  of  proper  education.  It  is  true 
that  the  English  government  had  established  element- 
ary schools  all  over  Ireland,  but  these  schools  were  for 
Protestants  alone,  or  for  such  Catholics  as  were  willing  to 
take  part  in  "  religious  instruction,"  the  purpose  of  which 
was  to  instil  enmity  against  the  Catholic  Church.  At  the 
very  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  some  provision  was 
made  for  the  education  of  those  Catholic  youths  who 
were  destined  for  the  priesthood,  by  the  establishment 
of  Maynooth  College.  (See  section  270.)  But  the  vast 
masses  of  Catholic  children  were  still  utterly  neglected. 

Two  years  after  emancipation,  in  183 1,  the  first  step 
was  taken  to  remedy  this,  by  inaugurating  the  system 
of  national  schools,  which  is  still  in  force.  The  two 
main  provisions  of  this  system  were,  that  pupils  of  all 
religious  denominations  who  attended  the  schools  were 
to  be  taught  together  in  the  ordinary  school  course,  and 
that  there  was  to  be  no  interference  with  the  religious 
principles  of  any  child,  each  denomination  receiving  sep- 
arate religious  instruction  from  its  own  pastors.  This 
new  system  was  rapidly  extended  all  over  the  country. 

297.  The  Whately  Commission,  1835.  We  saw 
in  the  last  chapter  how  extreme  poverty  increased  with 
the  growing  population  of  Ireland.  To  remedy  this, 
a  royal  commission  was  appointed  in  1835,  under  the 
presidency  of  Archbishop  Whately,  to  investigate 
the  conditions  of  the  poor  in  Ireland.  In  his  report 
Archbishop  Whately  writes  :  "  We  cannot  estimate  the 
number  of  persons  in  Ireland  out  of  work  and  in  distress 
during  thirty  weeks  of  the  year  at  less  than  585,000,  nor 
the  number  of  persons  depending  upon  them  at  less  than 
1,800,000,  making  in  the  whole  2,385,000.  A  great 
portion  of  these  are  insufficiently  provided  at  any  time 
with  commonest  necessaries  of  life.     Their  habitations 


1838]     FROM  EMANCIPATION  TO  THE  FAMINE      305 

are  wretched  hovels  ;  several  of  the  family  sleep  together 
upon  straw,  or  upon  the  bare  sod,  sometimes  with  a 
blanket,  sometimes  even  without  so  much  to  cover  them  ; 
their  food  commonly  consists  of  dried  potatoes,  and  with 
these  they  are  sometimes  so  scantily  supplied  as  to  be 
obliged  to  stint  themselves  to  one  bare  meal  in  the  day. 
There  are  even  instances  of  persons  being  driven  by 
hunger  to  seek  sustenance  in  wild  herbs." 

298.  The  Poor  Law  Act,  1838.  As  a  result  of  this 
report  the  Poor  Law  Act  was  passed  in  February,  1838., 
While  this  law  did  not  go  to  the  root  of  Irish  poverty, 
nor  remove  any  of  its  causes,  it  nevertheless  provided,  in 
the  poor-houses  which  were  built  all  over  Ireland,  a  refuge 
and  coarse  food  for  the  completely  destitute.  While 
the  Irish  peasantry  have  always  been  most  unwilling  to 
apply  for  help  to  the  poor-houses,  and  have  never  done 
so  without  a  feeling  of  shame,  these  institutions  have 
none  the  less  been  the  means  of  saving  hundreds  of 
thousands  from  absolute  starvation. 

299.  The  tithe   struggle.    The   Catholics  were  still 
called    upon   to  pay  tithes,  and   the  unjust  manner  in 
which  these  were  levied,  and  the  exactions  of  the  tithe 
collectors,  had  always  given  rise  to  great  discontent  and 
frequent  resistance  and  riot.    The  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  was  the  church  of  the  well-to-do  minority,  and 
its  ministers  and  servants  were  supported  very  largely 
from    tithes    extorted   from   the   already  overburdened 
Catholics.    Further,  the  tithes  were  collected  Riches  of 
from  the  peasants  directly,  and  not  from  the  {f^i^g^^*^" 
landlord.    In  contrast  to  the  Protestants,  who  Church, 
had  fine  churches  and  well-to-do  clergy,  the  Catholics, 
who  were  devoutly  religious,  were  forced  to  worship  in 
ruined  and  dilapidated  buildings,  and  their  hard-worked 
priests  received  a  bare  subsistence. 


3o6  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1838 

This  state  of  things  caused  continual  friction.  Tithe 
collectors  had  to  take  the  money  for  the  Protestant 
Riots  in  Church  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  and  soldiers 
wexiord.  ^nd  police  were  perpetually  called  upon  to  aid 
in  collecting  the  tithes.  At  Newtownbarry  in  Wex- 
ford, in  1 83 1,  thirteen  peasants  were  killed  by  the  yeo- 
manry in  a  tithe  riot,  and  again  in  the  next  year  eleven 
policemen  and  several  peasants  were  killed  in  a  similar 
riot. 

While  this  tithe  struggle  was  going  on,  Daniel  O'Con- 
nell  and  Richard  Lalor  Shell  made  repeated  efforts  in 
parliament  to  have  the  tithe  system  abolished  entirely, 
or  at  least  to  have  the  burden  of  this  tax  lifted  from  the 
shoulders  of  the  poorest  peasants.  Parliament  absolutely 
refused  to  take  any  measures  for  the  relief  of  this  griev- 
ance, and  met  all  remonstrance  and  resistance  by  coer- 
cion acts,  the  very  name  of  which  proclaimed  that  the 
foundation  of  the  system  they  supported  was  force,  not 
Tithes  justice.  Finally,  the  uprisings  against  the  tithe 
transferred  system  grew  SO  frequent  and  so  fierce  that  par- 
tenant  to  liament  was  compelled  to  act.  In  1838,  the 
^  °'  ■  tithes  were  transferred  from  the  tenants  to  the 
landlords,  and  were  reduced  to  one  fourth,  to  compensate 
for  the  great  saving  in  collecting  them  in  a  single  sum 
from  one  person.  The  result  was,  that  the  amount  of  the 
tithes  was  exacted  in  increased  rent.  But  much  of 
the  irritation  and  injustice  caused  by  the  old  method 
of  collection  was  removed. 

300.  Father  Mathew's  Crusade.  The  year  1838  also 
saw  the  beginning  of  the  great  temperance  crusade  under 
Father  Mathew,  a  zealous  young  Capuchin  friar,  who  had 
joined  a  temperance  society  founded  in  Cork  by  some 
members  of  the  Quaker  body.  Father  Mathew  signed 
the  pledge  of  total  abstinence,  and  then  began  to  preach 


i843]     FROM  EMANCIPATION  TO  THE  FAMINE      307 

temperance  to  others,  gathering  immense  crowds  of  all 
denominations,  who  listened  eagerly  to  his  wise  words. 
He  won  converts  everywhere,  and  thus  one  of  the  causes 
of  misery  and  poverty  in  Ireland  was  partially  checked. 
Drunkenness  greatly  diminished,  and  for  a  longtime  the 
influence  of  Father  Mathew  was  wide  and  deep. 

301.  Efforts  toward  repeal  of  the  Act  of  Union. 
We  now  come  to  the  two  great  events  of  this  period  : 
the  agitation  for  the  repeal  of  the  Act  of  Union,  and  the 
famine.  Ever  since  the  day  when  the  Act  was  passed, 
the  desire  for  its  repeal  had  been  growing.  Many  had 
dreams  of  an  independent  Ireland,  while  many  others 
confined  their  wishes  to  the  reestablishment  of  a  national 
parliament.  During  the  first  twenty-nine  years  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  the  patriots  of  Ireland  had  been  too 
absorbed  with  the  question  of  Catholic  emancipation  to 
give  time  or  thought  to  the  question  of  repeal.  Now, 
however,  O'Connell  came  forward  as  the  champion  of 
this  cause. 

The  condition  of  Ireland  had  grown  steadily  worse 
since  the  Act  of  Union.  In  1840,  O'Connell,  supported 
by  others,  who  believed  that  legislative  independence 
would  lessen  the  distress  of  Ireland,  founded  the  Repeal 
Association  in  Dublin.  The  movement  spread  The  Repeal 
with  the  greatest  rapidity,  for  it  appealed  Association, 
strongly  to  men  of  different  classes;  and  before  long 
O'Connell  found  himself  addressing  vast  gatherings,  to 
which  the  people  flocked  to  hear  his  eloquent  words. 
At  one  of  the  "monster  meetings,"  as  they  were  called, 
which  was  held  on  the  Hill  of  Tara,  it  is  estimated  that 
quarter  of  a  million  people  were  present,  and  thirty  such 
meetings  were  held  in  1843.  Meanwhile,  riots  and  out- 
breaks of  lawlessness  were  constantly  occurring,  so  that 
the  government  became  alarmed. 


308  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1843 

302.  Failure  to  secure  repeal.  O'Connell  had  a  sober 
people  to  deal  with,  thanks  to  the  zeal  of  Father  Mathew. 
He  had  no  desire  to  lead  a  revolution.  On  the  contrary, 
he  always  opposed  all  extreme  measures.  This  modera- 
tion, which  made  it  so  difficult  to  attack  him,  increased 
the  government's  alarm,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  certain 
that  his  agitation  would  be  crowned  with  success,  and 
that  the  Union  would  be  dissolved.  But  the  EngHsh 
government  at  last  took  action.  The  advocates  of  repeal 
arranged  for  a  great  meeting  to  be  held  on  October  8, 
at  Clontarf,  on  the  seashore  north  of  Dublin.  This 
meeting  was  prohibited  by  the  government.  The  gov- 
ernment further  determined  to  use  force,  and  brought 
Arrest  oi  soldicrs  to  the  scene  of  the  meeting,  compell- 
O'conneu.  ^^^  O'Conncll  to  withdraw.  He  and  several 
of  his  associates  were  soon  after  arrested,  tried,  and 
convicted.  For  three  months  they  were  kept  in  prison, 
until  released  by  a  decision  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
which  declared  that  the  sentence  had  been  illegal. 
O'Connell's  arrest  virtually  ended  the  repeal  agitation. 

303.  The  Young  Ireland  Party.  O'Connell  had 
always  been  leader  of  the  *'  Old  Ireland  Party  "  formed 
of  the  Catholic  clergy  and  the  great  bulk  of  the  people. 
During  his  imprisonment,  a  new  party  was  formed  by  a 
number  of  young  men,  who,  tired  of  the  fruitless  efforts 
for  a  pacific  settlement  between  Ireland  and  England, 
decided  to  try  more  radical  measures.  This  new  party, 
called  the  "Young  Ireland  Party,"  largely  consisted  of 
highly  educated  and  literary  men,  both  Catholic  and 
Protestant,  and  one  of  their  aims  was  to  unite  the  whole 
of  the  Irish  people  in  one  great  organization.  They 
used  ''The  Nation,"  a  newspaper  which  had  been 
founded  in  1842  by  two  Catholics,  Charles  Gavan  Duffy 
and  John  Blake  Dillon,  and  a  Protestant,  Thomas  Davis, 


i847]  FROM  EMANCIPATION  TO  THE  FAMINE       309 


Free  press. 


as  their  organ,  and  their  articles  often  had  a  revolu- 
tionary tendency.  Other  papers  were  founded 
about  this  time,  which  represent  the  beginning 
of  a  free  press  in  Ireland.  Among  the  advocates  of 
open  rebellion,  John 
Mitchel,  an  Ulster 
Unitarian,  stood  first, 
advocating  total  sepa- 
ration from  England. 

The  formation  of 
this  new  party  was  a 
great  blow  to  O'Con- 
nell,  as  it  was  founded 
on  principles  which 
he  could  not  possibly 
approve.  He  pre- 
dicted that  Revival  of 
this  society  learning, 
of  rather  wild  and 
sanguine  young  men 
was  certain  in  the 
end  to  bring  trouble 
on  its  members  and 
on  the  country.  Nev- 
ertheless, the  ''  Young  Ireland  Party  "  accomplished  much 
lasting  benefit.  They  revived  Irish  national  literature 
and  gave  it  new  life.  They  also  spurred  the  people  on 
to  a  study  of  Irish  history,  music,  and  tradition. 

But  they  saddened  the  last  days  of  the  great  states- 
man  and   "  Liberator,"  whose  watchwords   had  always 
been  moderation  and  legality.    Worn  out  with  anxiety 
and   disappointment,    full    of    anguish   at   the  Death  of 
thought  of  the  suffering  already  threatened  by  O'Conneu. 
the  famine,  O'Connell,  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  his 


OXONNELL    MONUMENT   AT   GLASNEVIN 


3IO  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1847 

physician,  set  out  on  a  journey  to  Rome  to  seek  re- 
newed health.  He  died  before  reaching  his  destination, 
however,  passing  away  at  Genoa  on  May  15,  1847.  I^ 
accordance  with  his  express  wish,  his  heart  was  taken  to 
Rome,  while  his  body  was  carried  to  Ireland,  where  it 
was  buried  in  the  great  cemetery  at  Glasnevin,  his  mon- 
ument being  modelled  after  one  of  the  round  towers  of 
Ireland,  surmounted  by  a  cross. 

304.  The  Great  Famine,  1845-47.  O'Connell  thus  es- 
caped the  misery  of  beholding  the  awful  tragedy  through 
which  Ireland  was  to  pass  in  the  next  few  years.  Fail- 
ures of  the  potato  crop  had  happened  before  on  several 
occasions,  and,  as  the  masses  of  the  poorest  population 
lived  chiefly  on  potatoes,  they  experienced  periodical 
suffering.  But  in  1845  and  1846,  the  entire  crop  failed, 
and  the  misery  of  the  country  was  complete.  The  worst 
famine  and  pestilence  known  to  modern  European  history 
raged  through  Ireland  during  the  next  few  years.  One 
quarter  of  the  population,  which  was  at  that  time  more 

than  eight  millions,  died  of  starvation.    No  west- 
Porty-  ern  country  has  ever  suffered  a  calamity  equal 

^®^®^'"  to  that  of  the  ''  Black  Forty-Seven,"  as  the  year 
after  the  famine  was  called.  England  did  something  to 
relieve  the  suffering  of  the  people  by  sending  large  sums 
of  money  and  quantities  of  food  ;  but  these  contributions 
were  quite  inadequate  when  divided  among  the  starving 
millions. 

305.  Emigration  to  America.  Before  the  famine, 
the  population  of  Ireland  was  nearly  nine  millions  ;  to-day, 
it  is  less  than  half  that  total,  having  diminished  every 
Decrease  of  Y^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  century,  something  that 
population,  i^as  happened  in  no  other  European  country, 
and  probably  in  no  other  country  in  the  world.  Statis- 
tics  show  that    Ireland  has  the   fewest  marriages  and 


1848]     FROM  EMANCIPATION  TO  THE  FAMINE     311 

the  smallest  families  in  Europe,  a  fact  accounted  for  by 
the  widespread  misery  of  its  inhabitants. 

But  the  small  families  alone  were  not  the  cause  of 
the  startling  diminution  of  population.  A  more  powerful 
cause  lay  in  another  direction.  The  people  of  Ireland, 
after  a  century  and  a  half  of  suffering  and  oppression  in 
their  own  land,  had  at  last  found  a  way  of  escape.  Tens 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  fled  across  the  ocean  'to 
America,  where  they  could  hope  to  escape  starvatiori, 
find  fair  opportunities,  and  receive  protection  from  the 
laws.  The  immigration  returns  of  the  United  States 
show  in  a  remarkable  way  the  suddenness  and  extent  of 
this  new  flood  of  life  from  Ireland.  In  1824,  only  seven 
thousand  people  of  foreio^n  birth  entered  the  „    ^ 

^      ^  °  Great  num- 

United  States.  The  numbers  then  began  to  bers  leave 
rise  steadily,  and  in  ten  years  reached  about 
60,000  or  70,000  yearly,  a  figure  which  was  maintained 
until  about  1844,  on  the  eve  of  the  Irish  famine.  By 
1854,  the  number  of  immigrants  to  the  United  States 
had  risen  to  more  than  425,000  yearly.  Almost  all  of 
these  came  from  Ireland.  Taking  the  same  question 
from  the  other  side,  we  find  that  in  fifty  years  after  the 
famine  4,000,000  emigrants  left  Ireland,  the  vast  major- 
ity of  them  for  the  United  States. 

Of  this  movement,  T.  W.  Russell,  M.  P.,  who  held  ofiice 
in  Lord  Salisbury's  last  ministry,  has  written  :  *'  These 
exiles  became  American  citizens.  They  nursed  the 
Fenian  rebellion,  which  threw  England  into  a  panic  ; 
they  financed  the  Land  League,  and  changed  the  very 
basis  of  that  feudal  land  system  which  so  long  cursed 
the  country ;  they  hatched  dynamite  conspiracies,  and 
paid  England  back,  at  least  in  part,  for  the  sufferings  of 
their  fathers  and  their  friends.  But  they  have  done  far 
more,  —  they   prevented  in  the  past,  and  they  prevent 


312  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1848 

to-day  (1903),  any  understanding  between  England  and 
the  United  States  —  such  an  understanding  as  Mr. 
Chamberlain  thinks  would  dominate  and  control  the 
world.  Yes,  beyond  all  doubt,  England  has  paid  dearly 
for  the  luxury  of  Irish  landlordism  —  for  this  is  what  it 
all  means  —  and  she  will  continue  to  pay  until  she  rids 
herself  of  the  incubus." 

SUMMARY 

The  first  step  in  the  resurrection  of  Ireland  after  many 
centuries  of  increasing  misery  was  Catholic  emancipation 
in  1829.  The  introduction  of  the  National  School  System 
followed  in  183 1.  The  Whately  Commission  was  appointed 
to  investigate  the  conditions  of  extreme  poverty  caused  by 
the  enormous  increase  of  population  during  the  last  half  cen- 
tury, and  by  the  legal  destruction  of  trade  and  industry.  As 
a  result,  the  first  Poor  Law  Act  was  passed  in  1838.  The 
same  year,  a  struggle  over  the  injustice  of  the  tithe  system 
brought  about  a  transfer  of  the  tithes  from  tenant  to  landlord. 
The  movement  for  the  repeal  of  the  Act  of  Union,  headed  by 
O'Connell,  ended  in  failure,  in  1843.  The  "  Young  Ireland 
Party,"  revolutionary  in  character,  was  then  formed.  O'Con- 
nell died  during  the  "  Black  Forty-Seven,"  the  year  of  the 
famine.  The  famine  was  followed  by  a  great  and  steady  tide 
of  emigration  to  America.  Between  1850  and  1900,  upwards 
of  4,000,000  emigrants  left  Ireland,  mostly  for  America. 


chaptp:r  XXIX 


THE   FENIANS   AND    DISESTABLISHMENT 

1848-1869 

English  Sovereign:  Victoria,  1837-1901 

306.  Free  trade.  The  lesson  taught  by  the  famine 
made  a  strong  impression  on  the  EngHsh  government. 
Sir  Robert  Peel  was  at  this  time  prime  minister,  and  he 
immediately  changed 
England's  policy  to- 
v^ard  Ireland  by  open- 
ing the  latter  to  free 
trade  through  the 
repeal  of  the  Corn 
Laws,  which  removed 
the  imj)ort  duty  on 
wheat.  The  result 
was  that  wheat  could 

be  imported    corn  Laws 

into  Ireland  "P«^^«^- 
free  of  duty  from  any 
country  on  the  conti- 
nent, or  from  Amer- 
ica, thus  lowering  the 
price  of  bread  for  the 
poor  inhabitants  of  Ireland.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws  was  a  blow  to  the  Irish  farmer 
because  he  had  formerly  been  able  to  send  his  wheat  and 


SIR    ROBERT    PEEL 

1788-1850 


314  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1849 

oats  to  England  free  of  duty,  while  all  other  countries 
were  compelled  to  pay  a  heavy  import  duty  on  wheat. 
As  Ireland  is  so  largely  agricultural,  it  is  probable  that 
the  permanent  loss  more  than  counterbalanced  the  tem- 
porary gain. 

307.  Condition  of  the  Irish  landlords.  The  evils 
of  the  famine  fell  very  heavily  on  the  landlord  class. 
The  farmers  whose  crops  failed,  and  the  laborers  who 
could  -find  no  employment,  were  able  to  seek  new  for- 
Reduced  tunes  in  America,  but  no  such  opportunity  was 
to  poverty.  Qpgn  to  the  landlords,  who  were  reduced  to 
bankruptcy  by  the  complete  inability  of  their  tenants 
to  pay  rent  for  several  years  in  succession.  They  were 
unfitted  by  training  and  tradition  for  the  hard  work  of 
an  emigrant's  life,  which  would  have  meant  sickness  and 
misery  to  their  wives  and  daughters.  They  were,  per- 
haps, more  to  be  pitied  than  any  other  class  in  Ireland, 
although  the  system  of  things  which  they  represented 
and  supported  was  the  cause  of  most  of  the  suffering  of 
the  people,  and  of  the  famine  itself. 

308.  Encumbered  Estates  Court  Act,  1849.  The 
British  go^)•ernment  saw  that  the  poverty  of  the  land- 
lords affected  the  whole  country  very  unfavorably,  be- 
cause, lacking  money,  they  were  unable  to  introduce 
Need  of  proper  improvements  on  their  estates,  to  re- 
capitai.  claim  new  land,  or  to  fertilize  the  old.  Eng- 
lish statesmen  devised  a  plan  which  they  hoped  would 
introduce  capital.  This  plan  was  embodied  in  the  En- 
cumbered Estates  Court  Act,  a  law  passed  July  28, 
1849,  which  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a  court 
empowered  to  examine  the  affairs  of  heavily  indebted 
Irish  landlords  whose  estates  were  encumbered  by  mort- 
gages and  loans,  which  consumed  all  the  money  that 
might  have  gone  for  improvements.     The  courts  were 


i849]    THE  FENIANS  AND  DISESTABLISHMENT    315 

empowered  to  order  the  sale  of  such  estates  to  the  value 
of  ^20,000,000.  It  was  hoped  that  the  Irish  estates  thus 
sold  would  be  bought  by  wealthy  Englishmen,  who  would 
introduce  into  Ireland  the  scientific  farming  and  system- 
atic improvements  practised  on  English  estates,  and 
thus  enrich  the  whole  country,  but  these  hopes  were 
not  realized.  The  estates  sold  under  the  Encumbered 
Estates  Act  were  bought  by  Irishmen  who  had  made 
money  in  trade.  In  general  they  paid  prices  too  low 
to  cover  the  debts  and  mortgages,  and  considered  their 
new  land  merely  as  an  investment,  trying  to  extract  the 
greatest  possible  profit  from  it.  Thus  the  farmers  were 
really  worse  off  than  before. 

309.  Increase  of  rents.  The  new  owners  gained  the 
idea  that  rents  might  profitably  be  increased,  and,  in 
renewing  the  yearly  leases,  they  in  many  cases  demanded 
twice  or  three  times  as  much  rent  as  before.  The  new 
landlords  further  believed  themselves  entitled  to  claim 
the  ownership  of  all  improvements  previously  made  by 
the  tenants,  and  to  exact  a  higher  rent  on  account  of 
these  improvements.  Tenants  who  were  not  willing  to 
pay  these  exactions  were  mercilessly  turned  out  of  the 
homes  which  they  themselves  had  made,  to  beg  or 
starve. 

As  in  former  days,  this  injustice  was  met  by  the  for- 
mation of  secret  societies  which  soon  drifted  into  crime. 
The  new  movement  was  called  "Ribbonism,"  and  its 
adherents  were  called  "  Ribbonmen."  They  ..Rnj^on- 
held  secret  meetings,  where  cases  of  extreme  ^^m." 
injustice  were  discussed,  and  where  summary  punishment 
was  decreed  against  the  perpetrators.  Landlords  and 
their  agents  were  murdered  in  solitary  places,  and  a  sys- 
tem of  organized  terrorism  was  created.  The  English 
Parliament,  instead  of  going  to  the  root  of  the  evil,  which 


3l6  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1850 

lay  in  the  unjust  land  laws  and  the  insecurity  of  the 
tenant,  merely  tried  to  destroy  the  symptoms  by  passing 
a  new  Coercion  Act,  which  gave  the  magistrates  special 
power  to  act  against  the  secret  societies.  Parliament,  in 
fact,  took  the  side  of  the  landlords,  as  was  only  to  be 
expected  when  it  is  remembered  that  both  houses  of 
parliament  were  largely  drawn  from  the  landlord  class. 
The  English  people  as  a  whole  knew  nothing  about  Ire- 
land and  her  condition,  and  it  was  only  after  their  atten- 
tion had  been  drawn  to  Ireland  by  years  of  agitation  and 
crime,  that  they  finally  awakened  to  the  truth  and  real-' 
ized  that  reparation  must  be  made.  The  responsibility 
for  the  condition  of  Ireland  during  most  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  rests  with  the  English  landlords  in  par- 
liament, rather  than  with  the  English  people. 

310.  The  ''Tenants' League,"  1850.  In  1850,  a  more 
concerted  movement  to  remedy  the  evils  of  the  land 
system  began  with  the  formation  of  the  Tenants'  League, 
which  spread  from  north  to  south  and  included  Catholics 
Its  and  Prptestants  ahke.     Its  object  was  to  obtain 

demands.  ^  redress  of  grievances  for  the  tenants  by  law- 
ful means.  This  league  drew  up  a  very  moderate  pro- 
gramme of  demands,  which  included  the  following 
points  :  — 

1.  A  fair  valuation  of  the  rent  to  be  paid  by  the  tenant 
to  the  landlord. 

2.  Security  from  eviction  so  long  as  rent  was  regularly 

paid. 

3.  The  right  of  a  tenant  to  sell  his  interest  in  the  land, 
representing  the  value  of  the  improvements  he  had  made, 
to  the  highest  bidder. 

4.  An  arrangement  of  the  question  of  arrears  of  rent. 
The  Tenants'  League,  however,  was  not  destined  to 

accomplish  the  reforms  at  which  it  aimed.     Dissensions 


1854]  THE  FENIANS  AND  DISESTABLISHMENT     317 

between  the  followers  of  different  churches  was  one  of 
the  main  causes  of  weakness,  and  the  league  presently 
passed  out  of  existence,  leaving  nothing  tangible  behind 
it.  Thirty  years  more  were  to  elapse  before  its  aims  were 
realized. 

311.  England's  attitude  towards  Catholicism.  It 
was  still  the  general  opinion  in  England  that  most  of  the 
evils  of  Ireland  could  be  traced  to  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  there  was  more  proselytizing  by  the  various  Protest- 
ant bodies  than  at  any  former  time.  They  declared  that 
Catholicism  was  only  a  habit,  the  result  of  mental  igno- 
rance and  indolence,  and  that  Ireland  could  soon  be  con- 
verted. It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  indignation  aroused 
among  sincere  Catholics  by  this  attitude,  and  the  general 
resentment  which  was  felt  toward  the  new  converts. 
The  result  was  that  Ireland  became  more  truly  and  pro- 
foundly Catholic  than  before. 

312.  Demand  for  church  reform.  The  question  of 
the  disestablishment  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  Ireland  now  began  to  be  agitated.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that,  owing  to  the  church  policy  of  Henry  VIII, 
Edward  VI,  and  Queen  Elizabeth,  a  Protestant  Church 
had  been  imposed  on  Ireland  as  a  State  Church,  with 
the  sovereign  of  England  as  its  head,  and  supported 
by  tithes  drawn  from  the  whole  people,  although  hardly 
a  fifth  of  the  nation  ever  belonged  to  this  church.  Fail- 
ure to  attend  its  services  was  for  a  long  period  punished 
by  fines,  and  membership  in  it  was  indispensable  to  the 
holding  of  any  state  office.  At  first  the  popular  demand 
in  Ireland  was  limited  to  the  repeal  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
Titles  Act,  and  the  appropriation  of  the  extensive  re- 
venues of  the  State  Church  in  Ireland  to  useful  national 
purposes.  But  neither  of  these  demands  was  obtained 
until  after  some  years  England  was  thoroughly  awakened 


3l8  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1858 

to  a  realization  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  Ireland  by  the 
Fenian  Rebellion. 

313.  The  Fenians.  The  first  step  toward  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Fenian  movement  was  taken  in  1858,  when 
Societies  Stephens  and  O'Mahony,  its  two  principal  lead- 
in^Amer^  ^^^'  began  organized  agitation  among  the  secret 
ica.  societies  of  Ireland  and  America.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  remember  that  the  name  Fenian  was  adopted 
from  the  National  Militia,  or  Fiana  Eirean,  of  the  days 
of  Find,  son  of  Cumal,  father  of  Ossin.  (See  section 
38.)  The  stronghold  of  the  organization  was  in  the 
United  States  among  the  tens  of  thousands  of  Irishmen 
who  had  keenly  felt  the  injustice  suffered  by  Ireland,  and 
in  whose  memories  the  horrors  of  the  **  Black  Forty- 
Seven  "  still  loomed  large.  Then  came  the  Civil  War 
in  America,  from  1861  to  1865,  in  which  many  Irishmen 
fought,  and  which  strengthened  in  them  the  instinct  of 
liberty.  The  Fenian  body  soon  became  formidable.  Its 
treasury  contained  not  less  than  $400,000. 

314.  Opposition  of  the  Catholic  Church.  In  Ire- 
land, the  Catholic  Church,  adhering  to  its  traditions  of 
civil  order,  strongly  opposed  the  Fenian  movement,  as  it 
had,  in  times  past,  opposed  so  many  of  the  secret  socie- 
ties. In  Dr.  Cullen,  leader  of  the  Catholic  party,  Ste- 
phens met  a  determined  opponent.  The  Fenian  Society 
was  condemned  by  the  Church,  and  the  Sacrament  was 
Country  refused  to  its  members.  For  a  time,  what  Ste- 
versus  phens  called  **the  struggle  between   Country 

Cullenism.  ,    ^    ^       .         „  ^*     ,  .,,  ,  .^,    ^ 

and  Cullenism  was  very  bitter,  and  neither 
side  gained  the  advantage.  But  in  1861,  an  event  took 
place  which  turned  the  balance  of  popular  feeling  in  the 
direction  of  Fenianism.  McManus,  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  Young  Ireland  Society  of  1848,  died  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  it  was  decided  to  bring  his  body  to  Ireland, 


1865]  THE  FENIANS  AND  DISESTABLISHMENT     319 

and  bury  it  at  Glasnevin.  This  was  just  what  Stephens 
needed  to  arouse  popular  feeling  —  the  body  of  a  dead 
rebel  receiving  the  honors  of  a  national  funeral.  Great 
preparations  had  been  made  for  the  ceremony,  when 
Cardinal  Cullen  brought  matters  to  a  climax  by  forbid- 
ding the  religious  offices  for  the  dead  man.  Stephens 
retaliated  by  carrying  out  the  funeral  on  a  great  scale 
without  the  sanction  of  the  Church,  and  his  cause  gained 
many  adherents  and  much  popularity. 

315.  Tendency  toward  rebellion.  The  government 
was  kept  informed  of  what  was  going  on  by  spies,  who 
were  numerous  in  the  Fenian  ranks,  as  in  the  days  of 
Wolfe  Tone  and  the  United  Irishmen.  (See  section 
267.)  The  gravity  of  the  movement  was  not  realized, 
however,  and  might  have  been  misunderstood  for  some 
time  longer,  but  for  three  incidents  of  special  character, 
(i)  During  1861  and  1862,  there  had  been  insignificant 
outbreaks  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  and  many  schemes 
had  been  discussed  in  America,  though  no  conceijted 
military  action  had  been  taken;  (2)  O'Mahony  held  a 
large  convention  in  Chicago,  in  1863,  to  plan  a  more  ex- 
tensive agitation  in  Ireland  ;  and  (3)  in  the  same  month, 
Stephens  started  a  newspaper  in  Dublin,  called  The  "Irish 
the  ''Irish  People."  It  attacked  the  constitu-  ^«°p^«-" 
tional  methods  of  "  The  Nation  "  (see  section  303),  and 
openly  counselled  rebellion. 

316.  Arrest  of  Conspirators.  The  government  did 
nothing,  however,  until  1865,  when  a  letter  from  Ste- 
phens was  discovered,  which  contained  definite  plans  of 
rebellion,  drawn  up  by  the  leaders.  A  descent  was  imme- 
diately made  on  the  office  of  the  "  Irish  People,"  and 
the  leaders  there  arrested.  For  two  months  Stephens 
Stephens  managed  to  elude  the  police,  though  escapes, 
all  the  time  in  a  house  near  Dublin.     He  was  finally 


320  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1865 

captured  and  imprisoned  in  Richmond  jail,  from  which 
he  escaped  ten  days  later,  through  the  help  of  some  of 
the  warders,  who  were  Fenians.  He  went  to  France,  and 
later  to  America.  The  other  prisoners,  of  whom  John 
O'Leary  and  O' Donovan  were  the  ablest,  were  harshly 
treated,  and  most  of  them  were  convicted  and  condemned 
to  penal  servitude. 

317.  End  of  the  Fenian  movement.  Great  joy  was 
manifested  at  the  escape  of  Stephens,  and  universal 
indignation  was  felt  over  the  severe  treatment  of  his 
associates.  The  government,  already  alarmed  by  the 
tone  of  popular  feeling,  was  further  startled  at  the  rescue 
of  two  Fenian  prisoners,  by  an  armed  body  of  twenty 
men.  This  was  followed  by  the  attempt  of  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Fenian  body  to  blow  up  Clerkenwell  jail, 
where  one  of  the  conspirators  was  imprisoned.  The  ex- 
plosion killed  twelve,  and  injured  a  hundred  and  twenty. 
England  England  was  stricken  by  a  panic,  and  a  cry  for 
alarmed.  vengeance  against  this  dangerous  spirit  went 
forth.  So  far  as  war  measures  and  armed  uprisings  were 
concerned,  the  Fenians  altogether  failed,  owing  to  the 
lack  of  thorough  organization  and  skilled  leadership.  But 
these  wild  outbursts  of  passion  showed  the  depth  of 
national  feeling  from  which  they  sprung,  and  roused  the 
English  government  to  the  realization  of  the  fact  that 
it  was  face  to  face  with  a  serious  danger.  By  1868,  the 
violent  phase  of  Fenianism  was  over,  but  the  hatred  of 
oppression  and  injustice  remained. 

318.  The  awakening  of  England.  A  change  had 
come  over  the  parliament  of  England  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century.  Its  English  members  had  ceased 
to  be  representative  only  of  the  landlord  class.  The 
extension  of  the  franchise  to  the  artisans  and  farm 
laborers   had  made  it  far  more  truly  a  national  body. 


i867]     THE  FENIANS  AND  DISESTABLISHMENT    321 

William  Ewart  Gladstone  was  in  the  ascendant,  and  was 
infusing  into  English  policy  the  principles  of  Gladstone 
humanity  and  justice.  An  added  moral  element  ^^  Bright. 
was  given  to  his  ministry  ]py  the  great  Quaker,  John 
Bright,  who  struck  the  key-note  of  a  new  policy  toward 
Ireland,  in  a  speech  at  Limerick,  in  1867.  "  Come,"  he 
said,  "  let  us  to-night  make  a  new  treaty.  On  England's 
part  let  it  stand  for  justice  ;  on  the  part  of  Ireland  let 
there  be  forgiveness."  Gladstone  had  not  at  this  time 
turned  his  mind  to  the  consideration  of  Irish  problems, 


ST.    PATRICK'S    CATHEDRAL    IN    1817 

Begun  by  John  Comyn,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  in  1190.     The  square  tower  was  built  in 

1370  and  the  spire  in  1740 

but  he  was  forced  to  do  this  by  the  Clerkenwell  explo- 
sion, which  resounded  in  the  ears  of  the  English  Parlia- 
ment. At  last  the  genius  of  this  great  statesman  was 
aroused,  and  he  began  the  splendid  policy  of  reparation 
and  reconciliation,  which  has  been  emulated  by  successive 
English   governments  up  to  the  present  day.     At  no 


322  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1869 

time,  however,  did  Gladstone  or  his  successors  fully  sym- 
pathize with  the  character  or  understand  the  needs  of 
Ireland,  and  their  constructive  policy  was  interrupted  by 
Crimes  Acts  and  Coercion  ^cts.  But  the  statesmen  of 
England  recognized  the  fact  that  Ireland  had  real  griev- 
ances, and  that  they  must  be  redressed. 

319.  Disestablishment  of  the  Irish  Church,  1869. 
Gladstone  saw  that  the  position  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  in  Ireland  was  one  of  extreme  injustice 
toward  the  whole  nation,  and,  on  the  eve  of  the  general 
election  of  1868,  declared  his  intention  to  disestablish 
and  disendow  this  church.  He  was  returned  to  power 
at  the  head  of  a  strong  and  united  Liberal  party,  and 
introduced  his  bill  dealing  with  the  Irish  Church.  The 
fight  over  the  bill  was  long  and  fierce,  but  Gladstone 
finally  won,  and  the  "  Act  for  the  Disestablishment  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  Ireland  "  was  tri- 
umphantly passed  in.  1869. 

It  was  provided  by  this  Act  that  the  disestablished 
church  should  retain  all  ecclesiastical  buildings  in  its 
possession,  including  Saint  Patrick's  Cathedral  and 
Christ  Church  Cathedral  in  Dublin.  The  financial  inter- 
TheSusten-  ^^ts  of  the  clergy  were  protected,  and  a  Susten- 
tationFund.  tation  Fund  was  established  to  provide  the  in- 
come which  had  hitherto  been  drawn  from  tithes.  This 
fund  was  a  sum  equal  to  fourteen  times  the  yearly  income 
of  the  Church  of  Ireland.  A  representative  body,  called 
the  Synod  of  the  Church  of  Ireland,  was  established  to 
govern  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  At  the  same 
time,  the  Regium  Donum,  a  grant  to  the  Presbyterians 
of  Ireland,  and  the  allowance  to  the  Catholic  Training 
College  at  Maynooth,  were  placed  on  a  similar  founda- 
tion to  the  Irish  Church  Sustentation  Fund. 


THE  FENIANS  AND  DISESTABLISHMENT     323 

SUMMARY 

Free  trade  was  granted  to  Ireland,  in  the  year  following 
the  famine,  by  the  gradual  repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws.  The 
Encumbered  Estates  Court  Act,  which  was  passed  in  1849  to 
provide  for  the  compulsory  sale  of  the  property  of  bankrupt 
landlords,  and  so  bring  capital  into  the  country,  failed  in  its 
aim.  Rents  increased  and  "  Ribboriism  "  sprang  up.  The 
Tenants'  League,  formed  in  1850,  would  doubtless  have  se- 
cured reform  had  its  influence  not  been  weakened  by  sec- 
tarian dissension.  Discontent  developed  into  the  Fenian 
uprising  of  1865-68,  which  was  ended  by  the  imprisonment 
of  its  leaders.  The  Fenian  rebellion  served  to  awaken  Eng- 
land to  an  active  consideration  of  Ireland's  wrongs,  and  Mr. 
Gladstone  took  his  first  step  towards  redressing  these  wrongs 
by  passing  the  "  Act  for  the  Disestablishment  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  in  Ireland,"  in  1869. 


CHAPTER    XXX 
THE   LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE   PEOPLE 

1869-1903 

English  Sovereigns: 

Victoria,  183 7-1 901         Edward  VII,  1901 

320.  Principle  of  Land  Purchase.  We  have  now 
come  to  a  consideration  of  the  last  two  acts  of  reparation 
to  Ireland  :  the  restoration  of  the  land  to  the  people,  as 
the  result  of  the  agrarian  revolution,  and  the  first  steps 
toward  legislative  independence.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  in  the  beginning,  under  the  rule  of  the  tribal  chiefs, 
Land  the    land    belonged    to    the    people,    and    was 

owneoy  safeguarded  for  them.  When  Norman  infiu- 
the  people,  ence  increased,  this  tribal  system  was  slowly 
but  completely  changed,  and  by  means  of  confiscations, 
the  land  gradually  became  the  absolute  property  of  the 
landlord,  while  the  tribal  rights  of  the  people  were 
destroyed. 

With  the  passage  of  the  Church  Disestablishment  Act, 
1869  (see  section  319),  a  new  principle  was  introduced, 
which  was  to  prove  the  salvation  of  the  peasantry  of  Ire- 
land. This  was  the  principle  of  Land  Purchase  under 
which  the  estate  of  an  unsuccessful  or  bankrupt  landlord 

Peasants  ^^^  ^*^^^'  "^^  ^°  ^  ^^^^  landlord,  but  to  the  ten- 
buy  back  ants  of  the  estate.  The  Eno"lish  orovernment 
their  laad. 

advanced  the  full  price  to  the  landlord,  and 
the  tenants  gradually  repaid  the  English  government  by 
instalments  spread  over  a  number  of  years.     Thus  the 


i879]    THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     325 


Irish  people  were  given  the  first  opportunity  to  buy 
back  the  land  of  which  they  had  been  deprived,  by  force 
or  fraud  in  former  centuries,  though  in  most  cases  the 
instalments  were  spread  out  over  so  long  a  period  that 
they  could  hope  for  entire  freedom  only  for  their  grand- 
children. But  more  than  six 
thousand  tenants  purchased 
their  farms  under  the  Act  of 
1869. 

321.    The    Land    League, 
1879.     It   must  not  be  sup- 
posed that  the  land  question 
was  voluntarily  settled  by  the 
English  government  without 
any    pressure  from    Ireland. 
Exactly  the   contrary  is  the 
truth.      The   people   of    Ire- 
land   were    encouraged     by 
the  Church  Disestablishment 
Act,    which    righted    one   of 
their  wrongs,  to  seek  redress 
for  another.     The  question   of  the  land   was   now  the 
gravest  which  remained  to  be  solved.     It  involved  the 
right  to  work,  the  right  to  earn  food  for  one's  family, 
the  right  to  possess  a  home.     A  ferment  of  agitation 
gradually  spread  through  the  country  which  culminated 
in  the  formation  of  the  Land  League  in  1879.     The  in- 
spirer  of  this  movement  was  Michael  Davitt,  bat  it  owed 
much  of  its  success  to  the  commanding  genius 
of  Charles  Stewart  Parnell.    The  Land  League  Stewart 
meant  the  organizing  of  a  nation  in  defence  of 
its  rights,  and  was  far  more  effective  than  any  armed 
rebellion.    Its  three  immediate  objects  were  Fair  Rent, 
Fixed  Hold,  and  Free  Sale. 


CHARLES  STEWART  PARNELL 
1846- I 89 I 


326  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1879 

By  Fair  Rent,  it  was  meant  that  the  rent  to  be  paid 

by  a  tenant  should  not  be  fixed  arbitrarily  by  a  grasping 

landlord,   but  should  be   lustly  decided  by  a 

Fair  Rent.  '  .    .  ,         ,        ,  ,    •     1    • 

court,  after  examining   the   land  and  judging 

of  its  extent  and  fertility.     Fixed  Hold  meant  that  the 

tenant  should  be  entitled  to  hold  his  farm  in 
Fixed  Hold.  .  .  ,  ^  ^        .     . 

security  without  fear  of  eviction  or  extortion, 

so  long  as  he  paid  the  fair  rent  decided  on  by  the  court. 

Free  Sale  meant  that  the  tenant  was  entitled  to  sell 

his  interest  in  his  farm  to  a  new  tenant,  that 
Free  Sale. 

interest  representing  the  capital  he  had  invested 
in  improving  the  farm,  in  fencing,  draining,  clearing, 
and  building. 

The  Land  League  represented  the  organized  demand 
for  these  things  ;  and  every  detail  of  the  question  was 
made  thoroughly  clear  to  the  peasants  of  every  part  of 
Ireland,  at  great  public  meetings,  addressed  by  Parnell 
and  his  lieutenants.  At  first,  Parnell  had  greatly  doubted 
whether  the  Irish  people  would  take  up  the  land  ques- 
tion in  a  serious  way.  "  Do  you  think,"  he  asked  one  of 
the  older  patriots,  "that  the  Irish  people  will  take  part 
in  an  agitation  for  land  reform  .? "  "I  think,"  replied 
the  patriot,  "  that  to  settle  the  land  question,  the  Irish 
people  would  go  to  the  gates  of  hell." 

From  Ireland,  the  agitation  spread  to  the  United 
States.  An  extensive  organization  was  there  formed, 
which  set  itself  the  task  of  providing  the  "sinews  of 
war."  A  parliamentary  fund  was  collected,  and  Parnell 
was  soon  in  a  position  to  provide  for  his  army 
Parliament-  of  parliamentary  followers,  who  were  thus  able 
arypary.  ^^  leave  their  other  occupations  and  devote 
themselves  wholly  to  the  work  of  reform.  Parnell  com- 
manded a  parliamentary  party  of  eighty-six  members,  and 
never  was  a  party  so  well  led  and  so  finely  disciplined. 


i88i]     THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     327 


Following  the  example  set  by  Joseph  Biggar,  of  making 
long  speeches  and  raising  technical  obstacles,  Parnell 
perfected  the  system  of  parliamentary  obstruction.  He 
made  it  impossible  for  the  English  Parliament  to  carry 
on  its  work  before  it  had  done  justice  to  Ireland. 

322.   Gladstone's  Land  Bill,  1881.     Meanwhile,  the 
political    situation   was    rapidly    changing    in    England. 
The  Conservative  government  fell,  and  Gladstone  was 
returned  to  power,  in  1880,  as  the  head  of  a  strong  Lib- 
eral government.     The  Land  League  agitation  had  pene- 
trated to  every  part  of    Ireland,  and  had  aroused  such 
strong  feelings  against  extortion  and  injustice  that  acts 
of  violence  and  outrage  were  frequent.     Glad- 
stone proclaimed  the  Land  League  an  unlawful  League] 
body,  and   its  leaders,  including  Parnell,  were 
arrested  and  thrown  into  prison.     Gladstone  determined, 
however,    to    settle     the 
question  of  the  land  as  he 
had  settled  the  question 
of    the    church   in    1869. 
He     therefore    drew    up 
the  famous  Land  Bill  of 
1 88 1,  which  secured  to  the 
Irish  people  the  three  ob- 
jects  that  had  been  agi- 
tated   for  thirty    Land  Court 
years:  Fair  Rent,   established. 
Fixed  Hold,  and  Free  Sale. 
A  Land  Court  was  estab- 
lished, with  power  to  hold 
sessions  in  every  part  of 
Ireland,  to  fix  fair  rents,  which  were  thenceforth  called 
judicial  rents,  and  to  decide  on  the  value  of  improve- 
ments made  by  a  tenant  on  his  farm,  in  order  to  secure 


WILLIAM    E.    GLADSTONE 
1809-1898 


328  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1881 

him  in  the  enjoyment  of  these  improvements.  This 
was  a  splendid  measure,  and  the  good  it  has  done  is 
incalculable. 

But  many  evils  had  survived  from  the  past,  and  were 
destined  long  to  survive.  A  series  of  crops,  almost  as 
bad  as  in  the  famine  years,  had  reduced  the  tenants  to 
dire  poverty,  and  often  to  starvation.  Yet  the  landlords 
insisted  on  exacting  the  full  arrears  of  rent,  which  they 
had  arbitrarily  imposed  before  the  days  of  the  Land 
Court.  The  consequence  was  that  acts  of  violence  in- 
creased, carried  on  chiefly  by  secret  societies,  such  as  the 
"Moon-Lighters"  and  the  '' Invincibles."  Gladstone 
grew  disgusted  with  the  attempt  to  rule  Ireland  by  force 
and  coercion,  and  came  to  an  agreement  with  Parnell, 
then  in  Kilmainham  jail,  under  which  he  was  to  receive 
Parnell's  support  in  parliament,  in  return  for  measures 
beneficial  to  Ireland. 

323.  The  Phoenix  Park  murders,  1882.  Earl  Spen- 
cer came  to  Ireland  as  lord  lieutenant,  bringing  Lord 
Frederick  Cavendish,  son  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  as 
his  Chief  Secretary.  On  May  6,  1882,  the  day  of  Lord 
Spencer's  state  entry  into  Dublin,  Lord  Frederick  was 
walking  in  Phoenix  Park  with  Thomas  Burke,  the  per- 
manent Under  Secretary  for  Irish  affairs.  Burke  was 
intensely  unpopular,  as  representing  the  worst  elements 
of  the  tyrannous  system  which  centred  at  Dublin  Castle. 
He  and  Lord  Frederick  were  surrounded  by  a  band  of 
the  "  Invincibles,"  attacked,  and  silently  stabbed  to 
death,  and  their  assassins  immediately  disappeared.  The 
United  Kingdom  was  horror-struck  at  the  news,  and 
coercion  took  the  place  of  conciliation.  But  Lord  Spen- 
cer and  Mr.  Gladstone  were  soon  converted  to  Home 
Rule  for  Ireland,  that  is,  the  reestablishment  of  an  inde- 
pendent Irish  Parliament. 


i886]     THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     329 

324.  The  first  Land  Purchase  Act,  1885.  Glad- 
stone's  ministry  fell  from  power  in  1885,  and  Lord  Salis- 
bury and  the  Conservatives  returned  to  office.  Their 
policy  was  marked  by  two  principles  :  first,  steady  oppo- 
sition to  the  ao^itation  of  the  Land  Leagfue  and 


^^ ...w..  v.^    ^..^  ^^..-^  ^^^^, 


Conserva- 


the  lawlessness  which  followed  in  its  wake;  tiveprin- 
and  second,  an  organized,  methodical,  and  en-  ^^^^^^- 
lightened  attempt  to  remove  the  causes  of  Irish  poverty 
and  misery,  one  by  one.  They  passed  the  first  Land 
Purohase  Act  in  1885,  a  measure  to  enable  the  tenants 
to  buy  their  farms  from  the  landlords,  and  so  to  be  rid 
of  the  exactions  and  the  extortions  of  rent,  once  and 
forever.  The  English  government  placed  a  sum  of 
^25,000,000  in  cash  at  the  disposal  of  the  Irish  farmers, 
who  could  borrow  as  much  as  they  required  to  buy  their 
farms  at  once.  They  were  to  repay  the  government  by 
instalments  spread  out  over  forty-nine  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  they  would  be  absolute  owners  of  the  soil. 
Several  thousand  more  tenants  became  owners,  and 
reduced  the  amount  they  had  to  pay  yearly  by  about 
one  third.  This  measure  has  worked  admirably,  as  we 
shall  presently  see,  and  the  sense  of  security  gained  by 
the  farmers  has  already  begun  to  call  forth  the  qualities 
of  thrift,  industry,  and  providence,  which  the  former  con- 
ditions of  land  tenure  in  Ireland  had  done  everything  to 
destroy. 

The  Conservative  ministry  at  the  same  time  seriously 
considered  the  advisability  of  giving  Ireland  Home  Rule 
and  restoring  the  National  Parliament,  and  the  question 
was  discussed  with  Parnell.  Lord  Salisbury's  govern- 
ment fell,  however,  and  a  new  general  election  brought 
Gladstone  back  to  power. 

326.  Failure  of  Gladstone's  Home  Rule  Bill,  1886. 
When   parliament   reassembled,  the  Liberal   party  had 


330  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1886 

only  a  small  majority  over  the  Conservatives.  Parnell 
had  his  strong  party  of  eighty-six  Irish  Nationalists,  and 
thus  held  the  balance  of  power.  By  joining  forces  with 
the  Conservatives  and  voting  against  Gladstone,  he  could 
bring  about  the  fall  of  his  ministry.  Gladstone  faced  the 
situation  and  decided  to  bring  in  the  Home  Rule  Bill, 
forming  a  parliamentary  alliance,  for  the  purpose,  with 
^.  .  .     .     Parnell.    This  brought  about  the  famous  split 

Division  m  ^ 

the  Liberal  in  the  Liberal  party,  and  the  formation  of  the 
^"  ^"  independent  party  called  the  Liberal  Unionists, 

who,  though  Liberals,  opposed  Gladstone's  policy,  and 
voted  to  maintain  the  Union  between  England  and  Ire- 
land. The  division  on  the  Home  Rule  Bill  was  taken  in 
June,  1886,  and  Mr.  Gladstone's  measure  was  lost  by 
thirty  votes.  The  Liberal  ministry  fell,  and  Lord  Salis- 
bury returned  to  power. 

326.  Balfour's  Irish  policy.  Arthur  James  Balfour 
became  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland  in  1887.  In  this  post 
he  played  two  widely  different  roles  :  first,  as  the  oppo- 
nent of  the  Irish  party  in  the  House  of  Commons,  he  was 
cool,  polite,  satirical,  and  very  determined  ;  second,  in 
Ireland  itself,  he  sincerely  and  effectively  studied  the 
wants  of  the  Irish  people  and  set  himself  to  devise  reme- 
second  dies  to  meet  them.  The  second  Land  Purchase 
Pwchase  ^'^^^  ^^^  passed  in  1888,  by  which  a  second 
Bill,  1888.  sum  of  ^25,000,000  was  put  at  the  disposal  of 
Irish  tenants  who  wished  to  purchase  their  farms.  Mr. 
Balfour  also  turned  his  attention  to  what  are  called  the 
Congested  "  congested  districts  "  in  the  west  of  Ireland, 
distiicts.  -pj^g  condition  in  these  districts  has  been  well 
described  by  T.  W.  Russell,  one  of  the  most  gifted  of  the 
Liberal  Unionists  :  "  A  great  part  of  the  crowded  popu- 
lation of  the  western  seaboard  live  subject  to  the  most 
shocking  conditions.     The  land  is  in  many  places  hardly 


i887]    THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     33 1 

worth  cultivating.  The  riches  of  the  sea  are  not  for 
these  poor  people  ;  they  have  no  boats,  no  capital.  The 
skill  of  the  fisherman  has  ceased  to  be  developed  ;  and 
even  were  the  fish  caught,  the  market  does  not  exist, 


ARTHUR   J.    BALFOUR 
1848- 

i.  e.  there  are  no  means  of  transit  thereto.  StruggUng 
for  a  wretched  existence  upon  these  arid  patches  of  soil, 
growing  potatoes  and  little  else,  feeding  a  pig  and 
rearing  a  scarecrow  of  a  calf  —  this  is  the  method  by 
which  thousands  of  human  beings  drag  out  a  miserable 
existence." 

Balfour  set  himself  to  remedy  this  by  extending  a 


332  IRELAND'S   STORY  [1891 

system  of  railways  through  the  "  congested  districts," 

obtaining  a  grant  of  seven  million  dollars  from  parliament 

for  that  purpose.     In  1891,  Balfour  went  very 

Third  Land  r      r  ^  j 

Purchase  much  further.  He  had  been  convinced  by  this 
Bill,  1891.  ^jj^g^  ^^^  jjg^^  convinced  his  party,  that  in  land 
purchase  lay  the  solution  of  the  Irish  question.  He 
obtained  a  new  advance  from  parliament,  this  time  for 
;^  1 70,000,000,  to  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  farms  by 
the  farmers.  He  also  formed  the  "  Congested  Districts 
Board,"  which  was  "  charged  with  the  duty  of  purchas- 
ing land  under  the  Purchase  Acts  for  the  purpose  of 
enlarging  and  consolidating  farms,  of  improving  the 
breed  of  horses,  cattle,  and  poultry,  aiding  the  fishing 
industry  by  erecting  piers  and  boat-slips,  by  the  supply 
of  boats  and  fish-curing  stations,  and  of  developing  agri- 
culture and  other  industry."  Thus  a  constructive  period 
gradually  replaced  the  work  of  confiscation  which  England 
had  carried  on  in  Ireland  during  centuries. 

327.  Failure  of  the  Second  Home  Rule  Bill,  1893. 
The  next  few  years  saw  the  division  of  the  Irish  party, 
the  death  of  Parnell,  and  the  introduction  of  Gladstone's 
Second  Home  Rule  Bill.  In  one  respect  it  differed 
widely  from  the  former  bill.  Gladstone  had  previously 
proposed  to  reestablish  the  National  Parliament  in  Ire- 
land, and  to  withdraw  the  Irish  members  from  the  Eng- 
lish Parliament.  He  now  proposed  to  retain  eighty 
of  the  Irish  members  in  the  English  Parliament,  after 
founding  a  separate  National  Parliament  in  Dublin.  It 
was  objected  that  under  this  arrangement  the  people  of 
Ireland  would  not  only  govern  themselves,  but  would 
also  have  a  right  to  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  England  and 
Scotland,  and  on  these  grounds  the  measure  was  rejected 
by  the  House  of  Lords.  Gladstone  retired  from  public 
life,  and  the  Conservatives  soon  returned  to  power. 


1898]     THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     333 

328.  Local  government  for  Ireland,  1898.  In  the 
new  Conservative  government  the  work  so  well  begun 
by  Balfour  was  carried  on  by  his  brother,  Gerald  Balfour, 
the  new  Chief  Secretary.  A  supplementary  Land  Pur- 
chase Act  was  passed,  very  important  and  valuable  in 
itself,  but  completely  overshadowed  by  the  "  Local  Gov- 
ernment Act,"  which  was  the  great  achievement  of  Gerald 
Balfour's  administration.  The  result  of  this  act  qq^^j 
was  practically  to  establish  a  local  parliament  coi"i"is. 
for  every  county  in  Ireland,  thirty-two  in  all,  with  the 
title  of  County  Councils.  These  local  parliaments  had 
power  to  raise  taxes  for  the  building  of  roads  and 
bridges,  the  support  of  schools  and  hospitals,  and  the 
protection  of  the  poor  under  the  Poor  Laws.  Of  the 
thirty-two  local  parliaments,  all  but  five  were  strongly 
Nationalist  in  constitution.  This  amounted  practically  to 
the  reestablishment  of  tribal  government,  and  was  one 
step  more  in  the  restoration  of  ancient  Ireland.  This 
great  measure  was  passed  in  1898,  practically  closing  the 
work  of  the  nineteenth  century,  which  will  always  be 
remembered  as  that  in  which  the  regeneration  of  Ireland 
was  begun.  The  dawn  of  the  twentieth  century  was 
marked  by  the  reunion  of  the  Irish  Parliamentary  Party 
after  a  decade  of  division. 

The  cultivators  of  Ireland  have  for  over  a  generation 
had  an  opportunity  of  buying  back  their  lands  by  in- 
stalments. More  than  six  thousand  tenants  purchased 
their  farms  under  the  Irish  Church  Act  of  1869.  The 
Land  Acts  of  1870  and  1881  each  turned  nearly  a  thou- 
sand tenants  into  proprietors.  The  Land  Purchase  Act 
of  1885  extended  the  same  privilege  to  two  thousand 
more.  The  Land  Purchase  Acts  of  1891  and  1896  turned 
into  owners  of  the  soil  no  less  than  thirty-seven  thou- 
sand former  tenants. 


334  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1903 

329.  Wyndham's  Land  Purchase  Act,  1903.  Ar- 
thur James  Balfour  became  prime  minister  in  1902, 
wyndham  with  George  Wyndham,  a  descendant  of  Lord 
becomes  Edward  Fitzgerald,  as  Chief  Secretary  for 
Secretary.  Ireland.  He  decided  to  settle  the  Irish  land 
question  once  for  all,  and  as  far  as  possible  to  sweep 
the  Irish  landlords  out  of  existence.  Parnell  had  said : 
"  When  the  Irish  landlords  are  as  anxious  to  go  as  we 
are  to  get  rid  of  them,  the  land  question  will  be  prac- 
tically solved."  Wyndham  saw  that  the  time  was  rapidly 
approaching  when  this  would  be  true.  Through  the 
operation  of  Gladstone's  Land  Courts  the  rents  had 
Selling-  heen  twice  lowered  all  over  Ireland.  A  third 
value  of       settlement  of  these  rents  was  approachinsr.    It 

land  de-  . 

pendent  has  long  been  the  custom  in  Ireland  to  make 
upon  rent,  ^j^^  selling-value  of  the  land  depend  upon  the 
rent.  In  general,  land  is  sold  for  a  sum  of  money  equal 
to  the  rent  for  twenty  years  ;  thus,  if  the  rent  of  a  farm 
were  a  hundred  dollars  a  year,  its  selling- value  would  be 
two  thousand  dollars.  In  Ireland  this  is  expressed  by 
saying  that  the  land  is  sold  at  "  twenty  years'  purchase." 
If  the  Land  Court  reduced  the  rent  to  seventy-five  dol- 
lars a  year,  the  selling-value  of  the  farm  would  fall  to 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  so  much  sheer  loss  to  the  land- 
lord. 

The  Irish  landlords  had  now  seen  the  value  of  their 
property  shrink  twice  under  the  operation  of  the  Land 
Courts.  A  third  shrinkage  was  rapidly  approaching. 
This  gave  Wyndham  his  opportunity.  His  new  Land 
Purchase  Bill  included  two  propositions  :  first,  to  put  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Irish  tenants  a  sum  of  English  money 
so  large  that  practically  every  tenant  in  Ireland  could 
take  advantage  of  it ;  and,  second,  to  induce  the  land- 
lords to  part  with  their  farms  by  offering  them  a  bonus 


1903]     THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     335 

equal  to  about  one  eighth  of  the  selling-price  of  the  land. 
Thus  the  tenant  was  able  to  buy  cheap,  while  the  land- 
lord sold  dear,  both  parties  being  in  an  extremely  satis- 
factory position.  Wyndham  made  it  possible  for  the 
whole  nation  to  buy  back  the  land,  and  for  the  first  time 
in  history  a  whole  people  undertook  the  work  of  national 
redemption  on  the  instalment  plan.  Wyndham's  Bill 
became  law,  and  came  into  operation  on  November  i, 
1903. 

330.  The  success  of  Land  Purchase.  A  govern- 
ment report  recently  printed  sheds  a  flood  of  light  on 
the  working  of  Land  Purchase  during  the  thirty-four 
years  preceding  Wyndham's  Act.  It  is  found  that,  though 
the  land  has  always  been  the  first  care  of  the  purchasing 
tenants,  the  houses,  both  dwelling  and  farm  buildings, 
have  been  very  materially  improved  since  they  became 
owners  of  the  soil.  In  all  the  four  provinces,  this  is  the 
general  testimony.  New  buildings  have  sprung  up,  old 
ones  have  been  repaired.  On  some  estates,  where  the 
condition  of  purchased  and  non-purchased  holdings  can 
be  contrasted,  it  is  found  that,  while  the  houses  on  the 
former  have  been  much  improved,  on  the  latter  they  are 
in  a  very  neglected  state.  The  middleman  has  been 
done  away  with.  Subletting  and  subdivision  are  prac- 
tically extinct.  Tenants  will  no  longer  sell  part  of  their 
farms.  '*  I  could  well  perceive,"  says  one  of  the  English 
land  inspectors,  "  the  love  that  these  people  have  for  their 
little  homes,  and  how  desperate  must  be  their  position 
before  parting  with  them ;  and  purchase  seems  to  make 
them  cling  to  them  even  more  than  before."  Not  less 
favorable  is  the  verdict  as  to  the  credit  and  solvency  of 
the  new  purchasers.  It  has  increased  all  around,  as  is 
testified  to  by  local  bankers  and  shop-keepers,  who  are 
in  a  position  to  know  best.    A  very  good  symptom  is  the 


336  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1903 

fact  that  these  new  land-owners  are  chary  of  getting 
into  debt,  and  think  twice  before  they  borrow  money, 
even  when  their  credit  is  good. 

We  can  well  see  that  a  great  moral  change  must 
accompany  this  steady  material  regeneration.  A  feeling 
of  safety  is  everywhere  springing  up,  in  place  of  the 
"  paralyzing  insecurity  and  doubt  that  prevailed  for  gen- 
erations." A  group  of  tenant-purchasers  in  Roscommon 
declare  that  ''since  they  have  got  a  hold  of  the  land," 
they  have  not  spared  themselves  in  making  improve- 
ments, which  will  be  their  own  for  all  time.  A  parish 
Beneiits  of  pi"iest  in  Cavan  says  that  "  purchase  has  brought 
purchase,  peace.  The  people  are  more  industrious,  more 
sober,  and  more  hopeful  as  to  their  future  prospects." 
The  police  say  that,  before  purchase,  they  found  the 
people  troublesome  and  unruly,  but  now  all  is  changed, 
and  quietness  and  order  reign  instead.  The  tenant-pur- 
chasers are  full  of  supreme  contentment  at  their  altered 
situation.  A  priest  in  Fermanagh  says  the  people  in 
his  parish  are  more  industrious  now,  while  the  consump- 
tion of  whiskey  has  diminished  by  a  third.  The  evidence 
of  these  two  ecclesiastics  vividly  recalls  the  words  put  in 
the  mouth  of  the  Irish  by  Sir  R.  Kane  in  1844  :  "  We  were 
reckless,  ignorant,  improvident,  drunken,  and  idle  ;  we 
were  idle,  for  we  had  nothing  to  do ;  we  were  reckless, 
for  we  had  no  hope  ;  we  were  ignorant,  for  learning  was 
denied  us  ;  we  were  improvident,  for  we  had  no  future  ; 
we  were  drunken,  for  we  sought  to  forget  our  misery." 

331.  The  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  people, 
thus  gradually  restored  to  possession  of  their  ancestral 
land,  are  helped  at  all  points  to  make  good  use  of  their 
opportunities.  Efificient  aid  is  given  by  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  presided  over  by  Sir  Horace  Plunket, 
who  has  been  its  inspiring  genius  from  the  outset.     This 


1903]     THE  LAND  RESTORED  TO  THE  PEOPLE     337 

board  seeks  to  make  the  best  knowledge  and  experience 
available  for  the  cultivators  of  land  in  every  part  of  Ire- 
land. It  works  through  a  council,  which  is  practically 
a  parliament  of  agriculture,  drawn  from  every  county,  by 
election  of  members  from  the  County  Councils.  The 
board  has  a  million  dollars  a  year  to  spend  on  the  work 
of  amelioration,  and  is  doing  good  work  year  after  year. 
It  is  supplemented  by  a  Board  of  Technical  Instruction, 
which  has  a  sum  of  nearly  a  million  dollars  a  year  at 
its  disposal ;  and  the  two  boards  are  doing  all  that 
is  possible  to  make  the  demoralizing  influence  of  the 
old  system  of  unjust  land  laws  a  thing  of  the  past,' 
something  to  be  pardoned  and  forgotten. 


SUMMARY 

In  the  beginning  the  land  of  Ireland  was  owned  by  the 
people.  As  the  unjust  landlord  system  grew  out  of  confisca- 
tion and  plantation,  the  peasantry  were  gradually  reduced  to 
misery  and  starvation.  They  were  finally  saved  and  enabled 
to  regain  their  land  by  the  principle  of  Land  Purchase,  which 
meant  that  the  English  government  advanced  money  to  the 
tenants  to  buy  their  farms,  and  the  latter  repaid  the  money  to 
the  government  on  the  instalment  plan.  The  Land  League, 
formed  in  1879,  took  up  the  land  question,  demanding  Fair 
Rent,  Fixed  Hold,  and  Free  Sale,  but  the  agitation  it  pro- 
duced was  so  violent  that  the  league  was  opposed  as  unlaw- 
ful by  the  government,  and  its  leaders  arrested.  To  Charles 
Stewart  Parnell,  at  the  head  of  his  Irish  Nationalist  Party  in 
parliament,  is  due  much  of  the  credit  of  solving  the  land  ques- 
tion. Gladstone  passed  a  bill  in  188 1  granting  the  "Three 
F's"  —  Fair  Rent,  Fixed  Hold,  and  Free  Sale  —  to  the  Irish, 
and  everything  tended  toward  conciliation  when  the  Phoenix 
Park  murders  in  May,  1882,  caused  a  reaction.  The  first 
Land  Purchase  Act  was  passed  in  1885,  while  Lord  Salisbury 


333  IRELAND'S    STORY  [1903 

was  prime  minister.  Gladstone  introduced  a  Home  Rule 
Bill  in  1886,  which  was  defeated  by  the  Lords.  Arthur  James 
Balfour  became  chief  secretary  for  Ireland  in  1887  and  secured 
the  second  Land  Purchase  Act  in  1888,  and  the  third  in 
1891.  He  also  passed  measures  to  remedy  the  evils  of  the 
"  Congested  Districts."  A  bill  granting  a  system  of  local 
government  to  Ireland  through  thirty-two  County  Councils 
was  passed  in  1898.  Wyndham's  Land  Purchase  Act  of  1903 
finally  settled  the  land  question  by  providing  a  sum  of  money, 
large  enough  to  permit  every  peasant  to  buy  his  farm,  so  that 
the  soil  of  Ireland  is  once  more  passing  into  the  possession 
of  the  Irish  people. 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

THE    IRISH    ON    THE    CONTINENT 

332.  Irish  troops  in  European  armies.  Toward  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  when  the  penal  laws 
were  instituted,  many  Irish  Catholics  left  their  country 
and  sought  a  measure  of  freedom  on  the  continent. 
Numbers  of  men  of  great  energy  and  ability  began  to 
enter  the  service  of  foreign  kings  as  officers  and  soldiers, 
winning  distinction  and  fame.  As  years  went  on,  and 
oppression  increased  in  Ireland,  the  numbers  of  Irish 
soldiers  on  the  continent  grew  larger,  so  that  we  can 
scarcely  name  a  battle  of  any  importance  in  which 
they  did  not  figure  in  a  conspicuous  manner.  And  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  Irish  regiment  was  always 
found  with  its  face  to  the  foe  in  the  thick  of  the  fight. 
Macaulay,  in  writing  of  the  effect  of  the  penal  laws,  tells 
how  Irish  Catholics  rose  to  important  military  and  civil 
positions  in  France,  Italy,  and  Spain,  in  the  armies  of 
Frederick  the  Great  and  of  Maria  Theresa  ;  Irish  Cath- 
olics, who,  if  they  had  remained  at  home,  would  have 
been  looked  down  upon  by  all  '*  the  ignorant  and  worth- 
less squireens  who  had  signed  the  declaration  agamst 
transubstantiation.  In  his  palace  at  Madrid  he  [Wall, 
minister  of  Ferdinand  the  Sixth]  had  the  pleasure  of 
being  assiduously  courted  by  the  ambassador  of  George 
the  Second,  and  of  bidding  defiance  in  high  terms  to  the 
ambassador  of  George  the  Third.  Scattered  all  over 
Europe   were  to  be   found   Irish  counts,  Irish  barons. 


340  IRELAND'S    STORY 

Irish  Knights  of  Saint  Louis  and  of  Saint  Leopold,  of 
the  White  Eagle  and  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  who,  if  they 
had  remained  in  the  house  of  bondage,  could  not  have 
been  ensigns  of  marching  regiments  or  freemen  of  petty 
corporations." 

333.   The  Irish  in  France.     Greater  numbers  of  Irish- 
men have  fought  in  the  armies  of  France,  long  England's 
bitterest  enemy,  than  under  the  flag  of  any  other  nation 
on  the  continent.     After   the  siege  and   sur- 

Alter  sur- 

render  of  render  of  Limerick,  in  1691,  almost  the  entire 
Limerick.  g^YTison  embarked  for  France,  on  the  advice 
of  Sarsfield,  and  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant- 
General  Sheldon,  and  there  formed  the  famous  Second 
Brigade.  What  was  known  as  the  First  Brigade  con- 
sisted of  the  three  regiments  sent  the  year  before  to 
Louis  XIV,  in  exchange  for  help  from  France  in  the 
cause  of  James  II.  But  in  this  exchange  the  French 
did  not  keep  faith,  for  they  sent  over  several  very  infe- 
rior regiments  composed  of  young  and  inexperienced 
men,  while  the  soldiers  returned  from  Ireland  were 
picked  regiments  of  old  and  disciplined  men  under 
Mountcashel,  Daniel  O'Brien,  eldest  son  of  Lord  Clare, 
and  Arthur  Dillon.  This  brigade  served  with  Catinat 
in  Italy,  where  they  distinguished  themselves  in  many 
fights  on  the  old  battle-fields  of  the  world. 

The  Second  Brigade,  under  the  command  of  Sarsfield, 

took   part    in  the  siege   of   Namur,  which  surrendered 

after  seven  days.    Sarsfield,  at  its  head,  publicly 

Sarsfield.  •        n        ,  ,         1  r      \  t-  ^      r  1 

received  the  thanks  of  the  trench  for  the 
great  service  rendered  them,  and  in  the  following  March 
was  made  a  field-marshal.  But  he  was  not  destined  to 
enjoy  his  honors  long,  for  in  July  of  the  same  year,  1693, 
he  met  his  death  at  the  battle  of  Landen,  fi[ghting  in 
the  cause  of  a  petty  tyrant  who  refused  to  tolerate  the 


THE    IRISH   ON   THE   CONTINENT  341 

Huguenots.  Sarsfield's  death  was  made  all  the  more  sad 
and  bitter  by  the  realization  that  he  had  not  sacrificed  it 
in  the  service  of  his  own  country,  nor  even  for  a  great 
ideal.  As  he  lay  mortally  wounded  on  the  battle-field, 
he  is  said  to  have  raised  his  hand  wet  with  his  own  blood, 
and  to  have  cried,  *'  Oh,  that  this  had  been  for  Ireland." 

During  the  War  of  the  Spanish  Succession,  which 
broke  out  in  1701,  the  Irish  Brigade  held  an  important 
position  in  all  the  great  battles,  and  rendered  in  the  war 
invaluable  service  to  France.  The  successful  gp^igh 
defence  of  Cremona  when  surprised  by  Prince  succession. 
Eugene  was  due  to  the  valiant  stand  of  a  small  company 
of  Irishmen  who  held  the  Po  gate  of  the  city  against 
greatly  superior  numbers.  The  bravery  of  the  Irish 
troops  was  conspicuous  at  the  famous  battles  of  Blen- 
heim (1704),  Oudenarde  (1708),  and  Malplaquet  (1709), 
and  Irishmen  fought  under  Berwick  at  the  battle  of 
Almanza.  Mahony  won  victories  for  the  French  in 
Sicily,  while  at  the  battle  of  Fontenoy,  in  1745,  the 
greatest  victory  of  France  over  England  since  the  battle 
of  Hastings,  in  1066,  the  Irish  acquitted  themselves 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  English  king  is  said  to  have 
exclaimed,  "  Cursed  be  the  laws  which  deprive  me  of 
such  subjects ! " 

After  the  French  Revolution,  during  the  Consulate 
and  the  Empire,  the  war  records  of  the  Irish  in  France 
were  no  less  remarkable.  Napoleon  found  two  j^^^^^  ^^^^^ 
generals  and  five  colonels,  to  say  nothing  of  Napoleon, 
numerous  troops,  among  the  exiles  who  poured  into 
France  after  the  Irish  rebellion  of  1798.  After  the  Re- 
storation most  of  these  men  remained  true  to  the  fallen 
Napoleon,  but  a  new  line  of  French-Irish  descendants  of 
the  men  of  the  Brigade  rose  into  prominence.  An  Irish 
count  was  the  last  to  draw  sword  for  the  Bourbons  in 


342 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


1 791,  while  an  Irish  general  stood  by  them  to  the  end  in 
1830. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  Irish  famihes  in  France 
during  the  middle  of  the  last  century  were  the  Mac- 
TheMac-  Mahons.  They  were  Irish  Catholics  who  main- 
Mahons.  tained  their  allegiance  to  the  Stuarts,  and  thus 
came  to  settle  in  France.  The  most  conspicuous  mem- 
ber of  this  family,  the  famous  Marshal  MacMahon,  was 


MARSHAL    MACMAHON    ON    HORSEBACK 

1808-1893 


born  at  Sully  (Saone  et  Loire)  in  1808.  His  father 
had  been  made  a  peer  by  Charles  X,  whose  personal 
friend  he  was.  The  boy  was  educated  at  St.  Cyr,  and 
then  entered  the  army  and  went  to  Algeria,  where  he 


THE    IRISH    ON    THE    CONTINENT  343 

saw  hard  service  for  several  years.  He  had  risen  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general  when  the  revolution  of  1848 
broke  out,  and  after  that  date  he  was  promoted  in  swift 
succession  :  he  became  general  of  division  in  1852,  and 
was  made  Grand  Officer  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  in  the 
following  year ;  he  was  in  command  of  infantry  under 
Bosquet  in  the  Crimea,  was  made  Grand  Cross  of  the 
Legion  and  senator  for  his  part  in  the  assault  of  the 
Malakoff,  and  finally  commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  in 
Algeria.  He  won  his  greatest  military  honor,  however, 
when  in  command  of  the  second  army  corps  of  the  Alps, 
in  1859,  at  the  battle  of  Magenta.  After  the  battle  he 
was  made  Duke  of  Magenta  and  marshal  of  France,  by 
the  Emperor  Napoleon  HI.  Two  years  later,  in  1 861,  he 
represented  the  emperor  at  the  coronation  of  William 
HI  of  Prussia,  and  in  1864  he  became  governor-general 
of  Algeria.  In  1870,  he  commanded  the  army  from 
Chalons  to  Sedan,  and  was  wounded  just  in  time  to  be 
free  from  the  responsibility  of  the  surrender.  After  the 
fall  of  M.  Thiers  in  the  spring  of  1873,  this  great  Irish- 
man was  elected  President  of  the  P'rench,  a  position  which 
he  filled  with  dignity,  force,  and  tact  until  June,  1879. 

The  following  extract  from  a  lecture  by  Sir  C.  G. 
Duffy,  in  Melbourne,  gives  an  idea  of  the  position  of  the 
Irishmen  in  France  during  the  presidency  of  Marshal 
MacMahon  :  "  In  the  drawing  room  of  the  ^^^^  ^^ 
President  of  the  French  Republic,  who  is  the  the  French 
natural  head  of  the  exiled  families,  I  met  de- 
scendants of  Irish  chiefs  who  took  refuge  on  the  conti- 
nent at  the  time  of  the  Plantation  of  Ulster  by  the  first 
Stuart ;  descendants  of  Irish  soldiers  who  sailed  from 
Limerick  with  Sarsfield,  or  a  little  later  with  the  '  Wild 
Geese '  [Jacobites]  ;  of  Irish  soldiers  who  shared  the 
fortunes  of  Charles  Edward  [the  *  Young  Pretender '] ; 


344  IRELAND'S    STORY 

of  Irish  peers  and  gentlemen  to  whom  hfe  in  Ireland 
without  a  career  became  intolerable  in  the  dark  era 
between  the  fall  of  Limerick  and  the  rise  of  Henry 
Grattan ;  and  kinsmen  of  soldiers  of  a  later  date,  who 
began  life  as  United  Irishmen,  and  ended  as  staff  offi- 
cers of  Napoleon.  Who  can  measure  what  was  lost  to 
Ireland  and  the  [British]  Empire  by  driving  these  men 
and  their  descendants  into  the  armies  and  diplomacy 
of  France?  All  of  them  except  the  men  of  '98  have 
become  so  French  that  they  scarce  speak  any  other  lan- 
guage. There  is  a  Saint  Patrick's  Day  dinner  in  Paris 
every  17th  of  March,  where  the  company  consists  chiefly 
of  military  and  civil  officers  of  Irish  descent,  who  com- 
memorate the  national  apostle,  but  where  the  language 
of  the  speeches  is  French,  because  no  other  would  be 
generally  understood.  I  reproached  a  gallant  young 
soldier  of  this  class,  whom  I  met  in  Paris,  with  having 
relinquished  the  link  of  a  common  language  with  the 
native  soil  of  his  race.  'Monsieur,'  he  replied  proudly, 
'  when  my  ancestors  left  Ireland  they  would  have  scorned 
to  accept  the  language  any  more  than  the  laws  of  Eng- 
land ;  they  spoke  the  native  Gaelic'  " 

334.  Irish  soldiers  in  Spain  and  Austria.  In  1585, 
Queen  Elizabeth  raised  a  forced  levy  of  1 500  Irish  troops 
to  fight  against  the  Spaniards  in  the  Lowlands.  As  might 
be  expected,  these  troops,  which  were  led  by  Sir  Edward 
Stanley,  an  English  Catholic,  took  the  first  opportunity 
Stanley's  to  exchange  the  service  of  Queen  Elizabeth  for 
^^^^-  that  of  the  Catholic  king  of  Spain.     Stanley's 

corps  distinguished  itself  in  many  battles,  and  "though 
young  troops,  displayed  the  steadiness  of  veterans  and 
a  spirit  of  gallantry  not  surpassed  even  in  that  military 
age." 

In  1 598,  the  Irish  were  at  the  capture  of  Orsoy  and 


THE    IRISH    ON   THE   CONTINENT  345 

the  siege  of  Rhinberg.  In  1599,  they  fought  under 
Cardinal  Andrew  of  Austria,  governor  of  the  intheiyth 
Netherlands.  They  continued  to  serve  in  the  '^^^t^y- 
Netherlands  until  the  peace  of  1609  between  the  States 
and  the  Archduke  Albert,  sharing  in  the  capture  of 
Ostend  and  Grave,  and  everywhere  fighting  with  ex- 
treme bravery.  When  Charles  II  of  England  was  an 
exile  on  the  continent,  there  were  several  Irish  regiments 
in  the  service  of  Spain  and  France.  One  of  these  was 
commanded  by  Richard  Grace  of  Gracefield  in  Queen's 
County.  Justin  McCarthy,  Lord  Muskerry,  afterwards 
Lord  Mountcashel,  commanded  another  regiment.  Sir 
John  Darcy  led  a  third. 

Three  times  during  the  eighteenth  century,  men  of 
Irish  race  were  ambassadors  of  Spain  at  the  English 
court.     Alexander  O'Reilly,  afterwards  Span- 

'■In  the  18tli 

ish  ambassador  at  the  court  of  Louis  XVI,  was  century  and 
governor  of  Cadiz,  "It  is  strange,"  said  Napo-  ^^*®'" 
leon,  on  his  second  entry  into  Vienna  in  1809,  ''that  on 
each  occasion  on  arriving  in  the  Austrian  capital  I  should 
find  myself  in  treaty  with  Count  O'Reilly."  The  dra- 
goon regiment  led  by  the  same  Count  O'Reilly  saved 
the  remnant  of  the  Austrians  at  Austerlitz.  The  Blakes, 
O'Donnells,  and  Sarsfields  were  equally  famous  in  Spain. 
O'Donnell,  Duke  of  Tetuan,  was  a  dominant  figure  in 
Spanish  politics  during  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

335.  Irishmen  in  Portugal.  The  O'Neill,  Count  de 
Tyrone,  recently  writing  of  the  Irish  in  Portugal,  says  : 
*'  Here  also  the  Irish  blood  is  in  great  favor  since  more 
than  two  centuries.  Among  dukes  and  barons,  minis- 
ters, judges,  lawyers,  high-reputed  officers  in  the  army 
and  navy,  everywhere,  old  Irish  names  are  to  be  met 
with  and  the  names  of  O'Donell,  O'Neill,  O'Daly,  de  la 


34^  IRELAND'S    STORY 

Poer,  Kelly,  FitzGerald,  O'Meagher,  Sarsfield,  O'Farrell 
and  many  others  are  repeatedly  met  with  in  our  history. 
An  O'Neill,  Count  Santa  Monica,  was  the  tutor  of  the 
present  king,  Don  Carlos,  and  the  family  enjoys  a  high 
position  at  court.  The  Duchess  of  Saldanha  is  a  Fitz- 
Gerald, in  fact  this  little  country  is  a  great  example  of 
the  worth  of  Irish  blood." 

336.  Other  distinguished  Irishmen  on  the  conti- 
nent. A  recent  writer  says  :  ''  Within  a  century,  the 
great  Leinster  house  of  Kavanagh  counted  in  Europe  an 
aulic  councillor,  a  governor  of  Prague,  a  field-marshal  at 
Vienna,  a  field-marshal  in  Poland,  a  grand  chamber- 
lain in  Saxony,  a  count  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 
a  French  Conventionist  of  1793,  Godefroy  Cavaignac, 
co-editor  with  Armand  Carrell  and  Eugene  Cavaignac, 
sometime  dictator  in  France,  and  Edward  Kavanagh, 
minister  of  Portugal.  Russia  found  among  the  exiles  a 
governor-geaeral  of  Livonia.  Count  Thomond  was  com- 
mander at  Languedoc.  Lally  was  governor  at  Pondi- 
cherry.  O'Dwyer  was  commander  of  Belgrade  ;  Lacy,  of 
Riga  ;  Lawless,  governor  of  Majorca." 

Count  Taafe  is  another  of  the  Irish  rulers  of  nations. 
Descended  from  a  distinguished  Sligo  family,  he  was  for 
years  a  commanding  figure  in  Austro-Hungarian  politics. 
Count  Taafe  was  also  a  Knight  of  the  Golden  Fleece, 
a  Knight  of  Malta,  and  a  Knight  of  St.  John.  Baron 
O'Carroll  is  a  rising  light  of  the  Austrian  diplomatic 
service.  In  the  Austrian  army  there  are  also  a  Baron 
O'Brien,  a  Baron  Brady,  a  Baron  McGuire  and  a  Count 
O'Kelly,  as  well  as  many  other  distinguished  officers  of 
Celtic  descent. 

Many  Irishmen  are  counts  of  the  Holy  Roman  Em- 
pire. Among  these  are  Count  O'Gorman,  Count  Rus- 
sell, Count  Moore,  and  Count  Cecil-Kearney.    In  Russia, 


THE    IRISH    ON    THE    CONTINENT  347 

the  family  of  General  Obrutscheff  is  descended  from  the 
Irish  O'Bryans,  just  as  the  Odontscheffs  are  descended 
from  the  O'Donnells. 

It  is  an  interesting  subject  of  speculation,  though  a 
melancholy  one,  to  consider  what  the  history  of  Ireland 
might  have  been,  had  all  these  men  of  force  and  genius 
been  free  to  use  their  great  powers  for  the  betterment  of 
their  native  land,  instead  of  spending  their  lives  as  exiles 
among  foreign  peoples. 


CHAPTER    XXXII 

THE    IRISH    IN   AMERICA 

337.    Colonists  before  the  Revolution.    About  the 

time  of  the  flight  of  the  earls,  1607  (see  section  151), 

North  America  began  to  receive  colonists  from  Europe. 

It  thus  happened  that  at  the  time  of  the  next  great  Irish 

exodus,  after  the  Rebellion  of  1641  and  the  Cromwellian 

invasion,  a  new  field  was  opened  for  the  Irish  who  were 

driven  from  their  native  land.    They  first  came 
Brought  as  -^ 

slaves  to  as  slaves.  The  merchants  of  Bristol  made  ar- 
rangements with  the  English  government  to 
send  Irish  men,  women,  and  girls  to  the  sugar  plan- 
tations in  the  West  Indies  and  to  New  England.  The 
commissioners  of  Ireland  under  the  Commonwealth  gave 
these  merchants  orders  directed  to  the  governors  of 
Irish  garrisons,  who  were  to  deliver  to  them  the  prison- 
ers of  war  in  their  keeping.  The  destitute  who  were  of 
an  age  to  labor,  or,  if  women,  were  of  marriageable  age, 
were  also  handed  over  to  them,  and  further  directions 
were  given  to  all  in  authority  to  seize  those  who  had  no 
visible  means  and  deliver  them  to  the  agents  of  the 
British  merchants.  On  September  14,  1653,  Captain 
John  Vernon  contracted  to  supply  two  hundred  and  fifty 
women  of  the  Irish  nation  above  twelve  years  and  under 
forty-five,  also  three  hundred  men  above  twelve  years 
and  under  fifty,  from  the  south  of  Ireland,  and  to  trans- 
port them  into  New  England.  This  is  only  one  instance 
out  of  many.  It  is  calculated  that  in  four  years  the 
English  firms  of  slave-dealers  shipped  6400  Irish  men 


THE    IRISH    IN   AMERICA  349 

and  women,  boys  and  maidens,  to  the  British  colonies 
of  North  America. 

The  stream  of  immigration  from  Ireland,  thus  begun 
in  slavery,  continued  under  more  or  less  voluntary  con- 
ditions in  the  years  that  followed.    Largce  num- 

Voluntary 

bers  of  Irish  Catholics  came  to  Maryland,  immigra- 
where  there  was  more  religious  liberty  than  in  ^°^" 
England.  We  even  find  the  Protestant  inhabitants  trying 
to  check  this  immigration  by  passing  an  act  in  1708 
imposing  a  fine  of  twenty  shillings  per  head  on  Irish 
servants,  ''  to  prevent  the  importing  of  too  great  a  num- 
ber of  Irish  Papists  into  the  province."  This  tax  was 
evidently  insufficient,  for  Maryland  passed  another  act 
in  1 71 7,  with  even  more  stringent  provisions  against 
''Irish  Papists." 

Details  for  the  rest  of  the  pre-Revolutionary  period  are 
incomplete,  but  we  have  certain  significant  facts  which 
indicate  the  truth.  In  the  years  1771  and  1772 
the  number  of  emigrants  from  Ireland  to  Amer-  ofimmi- 
ica  amounted  to  17,350.  Within  the  first  fort-  ^^^^^' 
night  of  August,  1773,  no  less  than  3500  emigrants  from 
Ireland  arrived  at  Philadelphia.  From  the  beginning  of 
the  century  the  proportion  of  Irish  to  all  other  immi- 
grants had  been  very  great.  In  one  year,  of  which  we 
have  the  record,  the  numbers  were  as  follows:  Irish, 
5655  ;  English  and  Welsh,  267;  German,  243  ;  Scotch, 
43.  Numbers  of  Irish  emigrants  also  went  to  the  Caro- 
linas  and  Georgia,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  proportions 
were  about  the  same  as  in  Pennsylvania.  Very  many  of 
them  were  doubtless  disguised  by  the  fact  that  they  had 
been  compelled  by  law  to  drop  their  Celtic  family 
names  and  to  take  names  like  Black  and  Brown,  Smith 
and  Butler,  which  gave  them  a  Saxon  air,  though  they 
were  of  Celtic  race. 


350 


IRELAND'S   STORY 


338.  The  Irish  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  remember  that  the  first  action  in  the  War 
„  ,  of  the  Revolution  was  led  by  an  Irishman.   On 

Major  ■' 

John  December    14,    1774,   four  months  before  the 

Sullivan.  ^^^^  ^^  Concord,  a  body  of  armed  men,  led  by 
Major  John  Sullivan,  stormed  the  English  stronghold  of 
Fort  William  and  Mary  at  Newcastle,  near  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.  The  garrison  was  captured,  the  munitions  of  war 
taken,  and  the  British  flag  hauled  down.     Six  months 

later,  the  powder  captured  at 
Newcastle  was  used  at  Bun- 
ker Hill.  Major  John  Sullivan 
was  the  grandson  of  Major 
Philip  O'Sullivan,  one  of  the 
defenders  of  Limerick,  who 
went  to  France  with  Sarsfield 
after  the  treaty.  Three  of 
Major  Sullivan's  brothers  were 
likewise  officers  in  the  Con- 
tinental army,  and  later  on 
two  of  them  became  governors 
of  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire. 

It  is  estimated  that  about 
one  fourth  of  the  American 
officers  in  the  Revolutionary  War  were  Irish  by  birth  or 
descent.  Among  the  most  famous  was  Major-General 
Major-  Anthony  Wayne,  known  as  Mad  Anthony  on 

Anthony  account  of  his  reckless  valor.  Born  of  Irish 
Wayne.  parents,  he  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine,  and  fought  in  Canada,  and  at  the  battles  of 
Brandywine,  Germantown,  and  Monmouth.  He  led  the 
assault  in  the  desperate  attack  on  Stony  Point.  General 
Walter  Stewart    came  to  America  from   Londonderry. 


ANTHONY    WAYNE 
1745-1796 


THE    IRISH    IN   AMERICA  351 

He  entered  the  army  when  very  young,  and  so  great 
was  his  military  ability  that  he  was  a  colonel  other 
at  twenty-one,  being  promoted  over  the  heads  irishmen, 
of  many  native  American  officers  several  years  his 
senior.  General  William  Thompson  was  also  a  native 
of  the  north  of  Ireland.  He  accompanied  Montgomery 
in  his  expedition  to  Quebec,  and  commanded  the  Amer- 
ican forces  at  the  battle  of  Trois  Rivieres  in  Canada,  in 
June,  1776.  Major-General  Knox  was  of  Irish  parentage, 
and  served  with  great  distinction  as  an  artillery  officer 
during  the  whole  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was 
Secretary  of  War  and  of  the  Navy  under  Washington 
until  1794.  General  William  Irvine  was  born  in  the 
north  of  Ireland.  He  raised,  commanded,  and  equipped 
a  regiment  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and  was  intrusted 
with  the  defence  of  the  northwestern  frontier.  Later 
on  he  entered  Congress.  General  Edward  Hand,  Wash- 
ington's adjutant-general,  was  also  of  Irish  descent. 
Brigadier-General  Stephen  Moylan,  a  native  of  the  south 
of  Ireland  and  brother  of  the  Catholic  Bishop  of  Cork, 
was  one  of  Washington's  most  distinguished  cavalry 
officers.  General  Richard  Montgomery,  the  first  com- 
mander of  the  Continental  army  to  fall  in  battle,  was 
born  in  County  Donegal  at  Conroy  Castle  near  Raphoe. 
After  Montgomery's  death  at  Quebec,  John  Sullivan 
became  general  of  the  northern  division  of  the  Conti- 
nental army,  and  served  with  great  distinction  during 
the  rest  of  the  campaign.  General  John  Stark,  whose 
"  Irish  brogue  "  Daniel  Webster  loved  to  imitate,  came 
from  one  of  the  older  Irish  families  of  New  Hampshire. 
He  fought  at  Bunker  Hill,  Trenton,  Princeton,  and  Ben- 
nington, where  he  gained  great  renown.  Colonel  Richard 
Butler,  who  afterwards  rose  to  the  rank  of  major-general, 
was  descended  from  the  Leinster   Ormonds.     He  and 


352  IRELAND'S    STORY 

two  brothers  greatly  distinguished  themselves  at  Stony 
Point  and  Saratoga.  John  Barry,  the  first  commodore  of 
the  American  navy,  was  born  in  County  Wexford. 

Besides  these  distinguished  men,  there  were  many 
soldiers  of  Irish  birth  or  descent  in  the  forces  of  the 
Their  infiu-  French  allies,  as  for  example,  Count  Arthur 
Americ^^  Dillon,  who  had  brought  with  him  his  own  Irish 
Revolution,  regiment  which  he  had  commanded  in  France. 
The  Irish  element  in  the  rank  and  file  of  the  American 
army  was  even  stronger.  In  the  English  Parliamentary 
Commission  which  was  appointed  to  investigate  the 
numerous  failures  of  the  British  generals  in  America, 
Edmund  Burke  raised  the  question  of  the  nationality  of 
the  American  troops.  He  was  told  that  General  Lee  had 
declared  that,  "  half  the  rebel  Continental  army  were 
from  Ireland."  Luke  Gardiner  gave  similar  evidence 
in  the  Dublin  Parliament.  Speaking  in  April,  1784,  on 
Irish  commerce,  he  is  reported  to  have  said  :  "  America 
was  lost  by  Irish  emigrants.  I  am  assured,  from  the 
best  authority,  the  major  part  of  the  American  army 
was  composed  of  Irish,  and  that  the  Irish  language  was 
as  commonly  spoken  in  the  American  ranks  as  English. 
I  am  also  informed  it  was  their  valor  that  determined 
the  contest,  so  that  England  had  America  detached  from 
her  by  force  of  Irish  emigrants." 

339.  The  Friendly  Sons  of  Saint  Patrick.  Some 
years  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the  Irish  settlers 
in  America  formed  "  The  Society  of  the  Friendly  Sons 
of  Saint  Patrick,"  in  which  all  differences  of  religion 
and  politics  were  forgotten.  The  society  met  at  Philadel- 
phia, then  the  chief  city  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies,  and 
consisted  of  men  distinguished  in  the  social  and  political 
life  of  the  times.  This  society  naturally  held  very  de- 
cided views  on  the  struggle  for  American  independence. 


THE   IRISH    IN   AMERICA  353 

Washington  spoke  of  it  as  "  distinguished  for  the  firm 
adherence  of  its  members  to  the  glorious  cause  „^  , 

°  .  Their  work 

in  which  we  are  involved."  Many  of  its  mem-  for  inde- 
bers  helped  to  form  the  first  troop  of  Penn-  p®^'^®^*'®- 
sylvania  cavalry,  to  which  Washington  paid  a  warm 
tribute  for  its  noble  example  of  discipline  and  subordi- 
nation, its  spirit  and  its  bravery.  To  this  society  belonged 
most  of  the  distinguished  generals  whose  names  have 
been  enumerated.  Brigadier-General  Stephen  Moylan 
was  the  first  president  of  the  ''  Friendly  Sons."  When 
the  Bank  of  Pennsylvania  was  founded  to  supply  funds 
for  the  support  of  the  American  army,  nearly  one  third 
of  the  subscribers,  and  more  than  one  third  of  the 
capital,  were  supplied  by  the  ''  Friendly  Sons  of  Saint 
Patrick,"  who  contributed  ;^5 17,500,  out  of  a  total  of 
;^ 1, 500,000.  After  the  war  was  over,  the  society  met 
on  December  17,  1781,  and  **  His  Excellency,  General 
Washington,  was  unanimously  adopted  a  member  of  the 
society."  To  this  famous  society  many  of  the  most 
distinguished  Irish-Americans  have  since  belonged,  and 
belong  to-day. 

340.  Emigration  before  the  famine.  The  Napoleonic 
wars  only  checked  emigration  to  America.  After  the 
battle  of  Waterloo,  the  tide  began  to  flow  again.  It  is 
hard  to  get  correct  figures  at  first,  since  great  numbers 
of  Irish  men  and  women  were  recorded  simply  as  having 
come  from  the  British  Isles,  and  their  Irish  origin  was 
thus  obscured.  It  is  estimated  that  in  the  decade  begin- 
ning with  1820,  more  than  27,000  Irish  emigrants  came 
to  the  United  States  ;  in  the  following  decade  the  num- 
bers were  about  30,000.  Between  1840  and  1850,  the 
number  rose  to  162,000,  the  great  increase  being  due  to 
the  migration  caused  by  the  famine.  From  1847  to  1854 
inclusive,    the  arrivals    from    Ireland  averaged  150,000 


354  IRELAND'S    STORY 

a  year,  and  up  to  1872,  the  total  of  Irish  emigrants  to 
the  United  States  exceeded  3,000,000.  It  is  probable 
that  there  are  from  12,000,000  to  15,000,000  people  of 
Irish  birth  or  descent  in  the  United  States  to-day. 

341.  After  the  famine.  The  Irish  men  and  women 
who  escaped  from  their  famine-stricken  country  after  the 
"  Black  Forty-Seven"  were,  for  the  most  part,  at  the  end 
of  their  resources.  So  long  as  they  had  any  money 
they  had  clung  to  their  old  homes,  and  they  had  finally 
reached  the  shores  of  America  by  a  supreme  effort  which 
left  them  without  means  to  obtain  favorable  conditions 
in  their  new  home.  As  a  consequence,  they  remained 
largely  in  the  eastern  cities,  unable  to  penetrate  into 
the  west,  or  to  obtain  farms  and  form  settlements  in  the 
country.  The  effect  of  city  life,  in  crowded  tenements, 
has  been  extremely  disadvantageous,  and  is  felt  in  a 
marked  degree  to  the  present  day. 

342.  Irish  in  the  Civil  War.  When  the  Civil  War 
between  the  North  and  South  broke  out,  in  April, 
1 86 1,  the  Irish  in  America,  with  the  bitterness  of  their 
forced  exile  still  in  their  hearts,  were  considering  the 
possibility  of  a  new  armed  insurrection  against  England. 
They  saw  in  the  war  an  opportunity  for  military  train- 
ing, and  numbers  of  them  joined  the  armies  of  the  North 
with  this  aim  in  view.  It  is  computed  that  not  less  than 
170,000  Irishmen  were  enrolled  in  the  Northern  army; 
and  they  fought  in  Virginia,  in  Georgia,  and  the  Caro- 
linas  with  the  same  valor  and  fire  that  the  Irish  of  the 
Revolutionary  period  had  shown  on  the  battle-fields  of 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania.  A  single 
instance  from  an  English  historian  must  suffice  to  illus- 
trate this  valor.  The  Hon.  Francis  Lawley  writes  : 
"To  the  Irish  division  commanded  by  General  Meagher 
was  principally  committed  the  desperate  task  of  bursting 


THE    IRISH    IN   AMERICA  355 

out  of  the  town  of  Fredericksburg,  and  forming  under 
the  withering  fire  of  the  Confederate  batteries,  AtFreder- 
toattack  Marye's  Heights,  lowering  immediately  icksturg. 
in  their  front.  Never  at  Fontenoy,  at  Albuera,  or  at 
Waterloo,  was  more  undoubted  courage  displayed  by 
the  sons  of  Erin  than  during  those  six  frantic  dashes 
which  they  directed  against  the  almost  impregnable 
position  of  their  foe.  .  .  .  The  bodies,  which  lie  in  dense 
masses  within  forty  yards  of  the  muzzles  of  Colonel 
Walton's  guns  are  the  best  evidence  of  what  manner  of 
men  they  were  who  pressed  on  to  death  with  the  daunt- 
lessness  of  a  race  which  has  gained  glory  on  a  thousand 
battle-fields." 

General  Thomas  Francis  Meagher,  the  organizer  of  the 
Irish  Brigade,  was  born  in  Waterford,  in  1823.  He  took 
part  in  Smith  O'Brien's  rising,  and  was  arrested  General 
and  condemned  to  death.  His  sentence  was  Meagher, 
commuted  to  transportation  to  Van  Dieman's  Land, 
whence  he  escaped  in  1852,  and  came  to  America.  Gen- 
eral Meagher  was  only  one  among  many  of  the  distin- 
guished Irishmen  in  the  ranks  of  the  Federal  army. 

343.  The  Fenian  movement  and  its  aftermath.  Im- 
mediately after  the  close  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
came  the  Fenian  rising  in  Ireland.  Many  of  its  agents 
were  Americans,  who  had  learned  military  science  in  the 
war.  The  movement  failed  as  a  political  enterprise,  but 
left  very  important  literary  results,  not  only  in  Ireland, 
but  also  in  America.  Several  of  the  leaders  who  were 
arrested  were  sent  as  convicts  to  Australia,  as  the  men 
of  '48,  like  John  Mitchel  and  Meagher,  had  been  before 
them. 

The  most  noteworthy  of  these  political  exiles  was  John 
Boyle  O'Reilly,  who  was  only  twenty-two  at  the  time 
of  the  Fenian  rising.     He  escaped    from   Australia   in 


356  IRELAND'S    STORY 

February,  1869,  and  after  many  perilous  and  dramatic 
John  Boyle  adventures,  came  to  America,  where  he  won 
O'Reilly.  ^  reputation  as  an  orator  and  writer  of  great 
distinction.  Among  his  verses  is  a  poem  on  Western 
Australia,  which  records  the  impression  made  on  him 
by  the  land  of  his  exile  :  — 

"  Nation  of  sun  and  sin, 
Thy  flowers  and  crimes  are  red, 
And  thy  heart  is  sore  within 
While  the  glory  crowns  thy  head. 
Land  of  the  songless  birds, 
What  was  thine  ancient  crime, 
Burning  through  lapse  of  time 
Like  a  prophet's  cursing  words  ?  " 

For  many  years  O'Reilly  was  connected  with  the  "  Bos- 
ton Pilot,"  which,  with  the  "Irish  World,"  represented  the 
most  influential  and  best  written  section  of  the  Irish- 
American  press.  As  many  of  the  writers  in  these  papers 
were  recent  political  exiles,  it  is  only  natural  that  their 
tone  was  militant.  His  place  on  the  "  Boston  Pilot " 
has  been  taken  by  another  distinguished  man  of  letters, 
James  Jeffrey  Roche,  who  has  written  an  excellent  life 
of  O'Reilly.  The  spirit  of  O'Reilly's  work  in  both  prose 
and  verse  is  well  represented  by  the  following  lines 
addressed  to  his  native  land  :  — 

"  Ah,  we  call  thee  Mother  Erin  !  Mother  thou  in  right  of  years  ; 
Mother  in  the  large  fruition ;  mother  in  the  joys  and  tears. 
All  thy  life  has  been  a  symbol ;  we  can  only  read  a  part : 
God  will  flood  thee  yet  with  sunshine  for  the  woes  that  drench  thy 
heart. 

"  Island  of  Destiny  !  Innisfail  !  for  thy  faith  is  the  payment  near; 
The  mine  of  the  future  is  opened,  and  the  golden  veins  appear. 
Thy  hands  are  white  and  thy  page  unstained.     Reach  out  for  the 

glorious  years, 
And  take  them  from  God  as  his  recompense  for  thy  fortitude  and 
tears." 


THE   IRISH    IN   AMERICA 


357 


JOHN    BOYLE    O'REILLY 
1844-1890 


While  O'Reilly's  best  verses  related  to  Ireland,  he 
also  made  considerable  contri- 
bution to  the  literature  of  his 
adopted  country  on  themes 
strictly  American.  When  this 
gifted  writer  died  in  August, 
1890,  being  then  only  forty-six 
years  old,  the  general  verdict 
on  his  character  and  work  was 
eloquently  expressed  by  Cardi- 
nal Gibbons,  who  bore  witness 
in  these  words  to  the  virtues  of 
his  fellow  countryman  :  "  The 
country  of  his  adoption  vies 
with  the  land  of  his  birth  in  tes- 
tifying to  the  uprightness  of  his 

life,  the  usefulness  of  his  career  and  his  example,  the 
gentleness  of  his  character,  the  nobleness  of  his  soul." 

The  system  of  organization,  which  had  failed  to  bring 
the  Fenian  movement  to  success,  was  revived  in  the 
days  of  the  Land  League,  by  men  like  Judge  Morgan 
Morgan  J.  O'Brien,  with  the  happiest  results.  J- O'Brien. 
To  the 'funds  subscribed  in  America  was  largely  due  the 
success  of  the  land  agitation  in  parliament,  and  conse- 
quently the  passing  of  the  successive  Land  Bills,  which 
are  giving  back  the  land  to  the  people. 

344.  Archbishop  Ireland's  settlements.  A  distin- 
guished Irishman  of  great  genius  and  courage  formed 
a  plan  for  transferring  the  overcrowded  Irish  population 
of  the  cities  to  the  open  lands  of  the  West.  In  1876, 
Dr.  Ireland  planted  his  first  colony  in  Swift  County, 
Minnesota.  He  selected  a  tract  of  land  several  thousand 
acres  in  extent,  which  he  obtained  on  very  favorable 
terms  from  one  of   the  great  railroad  companies.     He 


358  IRELAND'S   STORY 

then  formed  a  bureau,  with  a  secretary,  who  supphed  full 
details  of  the  character,  price,  and  condition  of  the  land 
to  Catholic  families  who  desired  to  secure  homes  in  the 
great  West.  A  church,  a  post-office,  and  a  large  general 
store  were  established,  but  no  public-houses  were  allowed 
to  be  opened.  Total  abstinence  from  intoxicants  was 
inculcated  as  one  of  the  conditions  of  success  in  life  on 
the  prairies.  Town  sites  were  laid  out,  and  lumber  for 
building  was  brought  by  the  railroad.  Intending  set- 
tlers could  have  twenty  acres  of  their  farms  ploughed  up 
the  summer  before  their  arrival.  The  example  set  by 
Archbishop  Ireland  and  the  St.  Paul  Catholic  Coloniza- 
tion Bureau  has  been  largely  imitated  through  the  West, 
and  the  benefit  to  the  Irish  inhabitants  of  the  Eastern 
cities  and  to  newcomers  from  Ireland  has  been  immense. 
345.  The  Catholic  Church  in  America.  It  is  in- 
structive to  consider  the  position  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  Ireland,  persecuted  and  proscribed  for  centuries,  and 
reduced  at  one  time  to  a  few  hundred  thousands,  on  the 
head  of  whose  priests  a  price  was  set  equal  to  that  paid 
for  the  destruction  of  a  wolf ;  and  to  compare  it  with  the 
situation  of  the  same  church  in  the  United 
States,  with  ten  million  adherents,  presided  over 
by  a  hierarchy  of  seventeen  archbishops  and  eighty-one 
bishops,  all  but  a  small  percentage  of  whom  are  de- 
scended from  the  original  Irish  race.  No  more  striking 
contrast  could  well  be  conceived. 

The  Catholic  Church  in  America  seems  destined  to 
accomplish  certain  great  ends.  All  through  history 
the  Irish  race  has  held  firmly  to  spiritual  ideals.  The 
political  troubles  which  overtook  Ireland  .during  three 
centuries  were  largely  the  result  of  the  firm  gpiritu- 
adherence  of  the  Irish  race  to  their  church,  »i^^- 
and  the  primal  spirituality  of  Ireland  was  strengthened 


THE    IRISH    IN    AMERICA  359 

and  purified  in  the  fires  of  persecution.  The  same  spir- 
ituality remains,  though  largely  undeveloped  and  not  yet 
fully  conscious,  in  the  Irish  race  in  America.  It  is 
easy  to  see  how  great  a  part  this  spirituality  may  play  in 
tempering  the  materialism  of  a  hard  and  self-seeking  age. 
This  is  one  part  of  the  church's  mission  in  America. 

The  Catholic  Church  stands  for  law  and  discipline  as 
well  as  for  spirituality.  One  of  the  great  dangers  in 
American  civilization  is  a  disregard  of  law,  or  lawana 
what  is  much  worse,  a  misuse  of  the  machinery  discipune. 
of  law  for  personal  and  selfish  ends.  The  spirit  of 
reverence  for  the  law  is  obscured,  and  the  whole  state 
is  thus  brought  into  danger.  Here  again,  the  Catholic 
Church,  with  its  spirit  of  discipline  and  obedience,  has 
a  great  mission  to  fulfil. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII 

THE   IRISH    IN  THE    BRITISH    EMPIRE 

346.  The  Irish  in  India.  One  of  the  most  distin- 
guished Irish  families  in  the  history  of  the  British  Em- 
pire, was  that  of  Garrett  Wellesley,  Earl  of  Mornington 
The  (i 720-1 781),  whose  birthplace  was  in  County 

Weuesieys.  Meath.  He  was  equally  famous  as  a  states- 
man and  a  musician,  and  was  especially  interested  in  the 
traditional  music  of  Ireland.  He  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Music  from  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  a  degree 
which  is  very  rarely  given,  and  only  in  recognition  of 
the  highest  merit.  His  fame,  however,  is  eclipsed  by 
that  of  his  two  distinguished  sons.  The  eldest  of  these 
was  Richard,  afterwards  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  born  in 
Dublin,  in  1760.  He  sat  in  the  Irish  House  of  Lords 
some  time  before  the  Union.  Later,  he  entered  the 
English  Parliament,  and  was  nominated  one  of  the  Lords 
of  the  Treasury.  In  1797,  he  was  appointed  governor- 
general  of  India,  and  proceeding  to  that  wonderful  coun- 
try, he  displayed  high  administrative  talent,  promptness 
of  action,  and  strength  of  will  in  the  work  of  government. 
He  defeated  Tippu  Sahib,  annexed  his  territories,  and 
also  won  victories  over  the  Mahrattas  at  Assaye  and 
Lassawari.  The  Marquis  of  Wellesley  resigned  the  gov- 
ernor-generalship of  India  in  1805,  and  was  appointed 
ambassador  to  the  court  of  Madrid.  He  was  later  secre- 
tary of  state  for  foreign  affairs  and  lord  lieutenant  of 
Ireland. 


THE   IRISH    IN    THE   BRITISH    EMPIRE       361 

Arthur  Wellesley,  afterwards  Duke  of  Wellington, 
third  son  of  the  Earl  of  Mornington,  and  Dukeoi 
younger  brother  of  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  Wellington, 
was  born  either  at  Dangan  Castle,  in  Meath,  or  in  Dub- 
lin, in  1769.  He  entered  the  army  in  1787,  and  six 
years  later  represented  Trim  in  the  Dublin  Parliament. 
In  1797,  he  went  to  India  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  arriv- 
ing a  few  months  before  his  elder  brother.  In  1799, 
he  was  made  governor  of  Mysore,  recently  annexed  to 
the  British  domin- 
ions. Returning 
to  Europe,  he  was 
appointed  chief 
secretary  for  Ire- 
land in  1807,  but 
events  on  the 
continent  soon 
brought  a  change 
in  his  life,  and  his 
great  opportunity 
for  fame.  In  1808, 
he  was  made  lieu- 
tenant-general and 
commander- in - 
chief  of  the  forces 
in  the  Peninsula. 
From  that  time 
until  his  final  vic- 
tory over  Napo- 
leon at  Waterloo, 

in  181 5,  his  life  is  a  part  of  European  history.  He  was 
prime  minister  of  England  for  the  three  years  following 
1827,  and  therefore  at  the  time  when  Catholic  emanci- 
pation was  finally  gained  for  Ireland.     He  died  in  1852. 


ARTHUR    WELLESLEY,    DUKE    OF    WELLINGTON 
1769-1852 


362  IRELAND'S    STORY 

Sir  Francis  Rawdon-Hastings,  second  Earl  of  Moira, 
in  County  Down,  was  born  in  1754.  Entering  the  army 
Earioi  ii^  ^77 ^i  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-gen- 
Moira.  g^g^i  jn  the  American  revolutionary  war.  In 
1794,  he  was  sent  with  ten  thousand  men  to  join  the 
Duke  of  York's  ill-fated  expedition  to  Holland.  In 
18 13,  he  was  appointed  governor-general  of  India,  where 
he  carried  on  successful  wars  against  the  Nepalese  and 
Pindaris.  He  was  head  of  the  government  in  India  for 
ten  years,  and  was  then  appointed  governor  of  Malta. 
He  was  created  Marquis  of  Hastings,  and  died  shortly 
after  on  board  the  Revenge  in  Baia  Bay,  near  Naples. 

Richard  Southwell  Bourke,  Earl  of  Mayo,  was  born  in 
1822.  He  was  descended  from  WilHam  de  Burgo,  who 
succeeded  Strongbow  as  lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland  in 
Earl  of  1177-  The  Earl  of  Mayo,  who  had  served  for 
"*y*»-  some  time  as  chief  secretary  for  Ireland,  was 

appointed  governor-general  of  India  in  1868.  After  four 
years  in  this  high  office,  he  was  assassinated  while  on 
a  tour  of  inspection  through  the  penal  settlement  in 
the  Andaman  Islands.  He  was  buried  at  Johnstown  in 
County  Kildare. 

Frederick  Temple  Hamilton  Blackwood,  afterwards 
Marquis  of  Dufferin  and  Ava,  a  title  which  links  County 
„      ^    ^    Down  with  the  kins^dom  of  Burma,  was  born  in 

Marquis  of  ^  ' 

Dufferin  1 826.  He  first  distinguished  himself  as  Brit- 
"^  ■^^*'  ish  commissioner  in  Syria,  in  i860.  Twelve 
years  later  he  became  governor-general  of  Canada,  where 
he  served  for  six  years.  He  was  ambassador  at  St. 
Petersburg  and  Constantinople,  and  in  1884  was  ap- 
pointed governor-general  of  India,  where  he  served  until 
1888,  adding  the  kingdom  of  Burma  to  the  British  crown. 
In  the  century  which  followed  the  appointment  of 
the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  India  was  governed  for  more 


THE    IRISH    IN    THE   BRITISH    EMPIRE 


363 


than  twenty-six  years  by  four  distinguished  Irishmen. 
During  the  same  period,  the  armies  in  India  were  under 
the  supreme  command  of  a  number  of  remarkable  Irish 
soldiers.     The  Earl  of 
Moira  was  the  first  of 
these,  holding  the  posi- 
tion of  commander-in- 
chief,  as  well  as  that  of 
governor-general. 

General  Sir  Hugh 
Gough,  born  at  Limer- 
ick in  1 779,  aided  in  the 
capture  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  fought 
under  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  in  the  Pe- 
ninsular war.  Gen- 
eral Gough  afterward 
served  in  India  and 
China,  and  in  1842 
was  appointed  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the 
British  forces  in  India. 
He  commanded  in  the 

last  Mahratta  war.  He  defeated  the  Sikhs  at  Sobraon, 
and  later  at  Gujarat.  He  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Vis- 
count Gough  and  made  field-marshal.      He  died  in  1869. 

Frederick,  Lord  Roberts,  descended  from  an  old 
Waterford  family,  was  born  in  183 1.  He  fought  through 
the  Indian  Mutiny  of  1857,  and  took  part  in  Lord 
the  relief  of  Lucknow.  He  served  in  the  Abys- 
sinian campaign  of  1868,  and  marched  to  Cabul  in  1879, 
gaining  the  title  of  Lord  Roberts  of  Kandahar  for  his 
services    in   the   Afghan  war.     He  was  commander-in- 


FREDERICK,    LORD    ROBERTS 


Rolierts. 


364  IRELAND'S    STORY 

chief  of  the  Indian  army  from  1885  to  1893,  and  after- 
wards commander-in-chief  of  the  British  army,  and  field- 
marshal.  It  may  be  questioned  whether  his  services  in 
South  Africa  added  greatly  to  his  fame,  though  they 
gained  him  an  earldom. 

General  Sir  George  White  was  born  at  Whitehall, 
County  Antrim,  in  1855.  He  served  through  the  Indian 
Sir  George  Mutiny  and  the  Afghan  war,  and  also  in  the 
White.  expeditions  to  the  Soudan  and  Burma.  He 
was  commander-in-chief  of  the  Indian  army  from  1893 
to  1897,  in  succession  to  Lord  Roberts.  Later,  Sir 
George  White  became  widely  known  as  the  defender  of 
Lady  smith. 

Sir  Garnet,  afterwards  Viscount  Wolseley,  was  born 
in  Dublin,  in  1833.  He  entered  the  army  in  1852,  and 
Viscount  served  in  Burma,  in  the  Crimea,  and  in  the 
wolseley.  Indian  Mutiny.  He  gained  high  distinction 
in  the  Ashantee  war  of  1873,  and  showed  that  he 
possessed  the  highest  military  qualities  in  the  Egyptian 
campaign  of  1882.  He  was  appointed  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  British  army  in  1895,  and  held  this  posi- 
tion for  five  years. 

These  are  a  few  only  of  the  distinguished  Irishmen 
who  helped  to  build  up  the  British  Empire.  Number- 
less others  filled  posts  less  conspicuous  than 
famous  those  of  viceroy  of  India,  or  commander-in- 
irishmen.  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  British  army.  Many  more  were 
and  are  eminent  in  the  diplomatic  service.  Others,  like 
Lord  Russell  of  Killowen,  lord  chief  justice  of  England, 
rose  to  the  highest  rank  in  the  profession  of  law.  Some, 
like  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  gained  world-wide  distinction 
for  musical  culture  and  inspiration.  But  to  enumerate 
even  the  names  of  these  would  be  impossible  here.  We 
have,  however,  brought  forward  names  enough  to  show 


THE   IRISH    IN   THE   BRITISH   EMPIRE        365 

that,  while  Ireland  is,  in  size  and  population,  one  of  the 
smallest  of  nations,  her  sons  hold  a  position  of  eminence 
in  every  field  of  human  endeavor,  quite  out  of  propor- 
tion to  the  size  of  their  country  and  the  numbers  of  its 
population.  This  is  exceptionally  evident  in  the  great 
Indian  Empire,  to  which  province  after  province  has 
been  added  by  Irish  valor,  to  be  ruled  by  Irish  genius. 

347.  The  Irish  in  Canada.  By  no  means  all  the  Irish 
who  emigrated  to  the  New  World  found  homes  in  the 
United  States.  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  South 
America  received  their  share  of  the  exiles  as  well.  But 
a  far  greater  number  of  Irishmen  came  to  Canada,  where 
we  find  them  recorded  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of 
the  country.  While  most  of  the  great  northern  region 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  French,  the  Irish  were  among  the 
first  to  penetrate  the  wilderness,  and  clear  the  land  for 
farming.  But  after  the  victory  of  Wolfe  over  Montcalm, 
in  1763,  when  the  English  became  masters  of  the  whole 
country,  the  Irish  settlers  did  more  towards  laying  the 
firm  foundation  of  the  present  Canada,  forming  her 
constitution,  and  building  up  for  her  a  state  of  prosper- 
ity, than  did  the  settlers  of  all  other  nationalities  com- 
bined. Were  we  to  attempt  to  tell  adequately  the  story 
of  the  Irishman  in  Canada,  we  should  have  to  write  a 
book  as  large,  if  not  larger  than  the  present  volume.  It 
must  suffice  if  we  mention  several  of  the  most  famous 
names  in  each  stage  of  the  country's  development. 

Colonel  Guy  Carleton  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder 

and  savior  of    Canada.     He  was  a    native    of    County 

Tyrone,  had  served  some  time  under  the  Ensf-  „  ,     , 
■'  '  ^     Colonel 

lish  flag  on  the  continent,  was  with  Wolfe  at   Guy 
the   siege  of   Montreal,  and  in   1767  was   re-     "®°°- 
warded  for  distinguished  services  by  being  made  lieuten- 
ant-governor of  Quebec.     Carleton's  policy  was  one  of 


366  IRELAND'S    STORY 

conciliation  towards  the  French  Canadians,  who  were 
far  more  numerous  than  the  English  settlers.  He  did 
all  in  his  power  to  redress  their  grievances,  not  only 
because  he  loved  right  for  right's  sake,  but  because  he 
was  wise  enough  to  secure  their  sympathy  for  England 
in  view  of  the  approaching  troubles  with  the  American 
colonies.  Later,  in  1787,  Carleton,  who  had  been  made 
Lord  Dorchester,  became  the  first  Irish  governor-gen- 
eral of  Canada. 

Colonel  the  Hon.  Thomas  Talbot,  founder  of  the  fa- 
mous Talbot  Settlement,  was  born  in  County  Dublin,  in 
Colonel  ^n^'  After  several  years  of  military  service 
Talbot.  on  both  continents,  this  aristocratic  pioneer 
determined  to  found  a  colony  in  Canada,  and  with  that 
end  in  view  landed  on  May  21,  1803,  in  the  midst  of  the 
wilderness,  at  a  place  later  called  Port  Talbot.  He  had 
made  an  arrangement  with  the  government  that  for 
every  settler  placed  on  fifty  acres  of  land,  he  was  enti- 
tled to  two  hundred  acres,  until  five  thousand  acres  were 
reached.  This  colony  grew  rapidly.  For  over  fifty 
years  Colonel  Talbot  superintended  its  development 
himself.  A  census  taken  by  him  in  183 1  reports  the 
population  of  his  settlement  to  have  been  upwards  of 
40,000  people  inhabiting  518,000  acres  of  land,  compris- 
ing a  district  now  covered  by  twenty-nine  townships. 
In  his  group  of  rough  log  buildings  known  as  the  Castle 
of  Malahide,  at  Port  Talbot,  the  colonel  used  to  enter- 
tain the  most  distinguished  men,  not  only  of  Canada, 
but  of  the  whole  of  Europe. 

The  Irish  were  among  the  first  to  settle  in  Nova  Scotia, 
New  Brunswick,  and  Prince  Edward  Island.  In  the  war 
of  1 81 2,  between  England  and  the  United  States,  we 
must  mention  for  their  bravery  and  great  services.  Colonel 
Brock  and  Lieutenant  Fitzgibbon.     During  the  Irish  im- 


THE   IRISH    IN    THE   BRITISH   EMPIRE       367 

migration  from  181 5  to  1837,  and  in  the  years  following 
we  find  the  Blakes  in  London,  Ontario,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Toronto;  in  Montreal,  "Tom"  White,  the  owner  of 
several  newspapers  and  an  upright  politician,  other  Irish 
as  was  also  Mr.  Sidney  Robert  Bellingham.  Canadians. 
In  Victoria  County,  the  McHughs  head  a  long  list  of 
prominent  Irish  names ;  in  Kingston,  the  O'Reillys. 
Every  county  in  Canada  boasts  several  famous  Irish 
families,  too  many  to  enumerate  here.  During  the 
struggle  for  responsible  representative  government, 
which  was  gained  in  the  first  parliament  of  United 
Canada  in  1841,  we  find  the  names  of  Gourlay,  Macken- 
zie, the  Baldwins,  Robert  Baldwin  Sullivan,  and  Sir 
Francis  Hincks,  all  prominent.  The  years  from  1825 
to  1854  are  known  in  Canadian  politics  as  the  Irish 
period,  for  during  that  time  there  was  scarcely  a  states- 
man of  any  prominence  who  was  not  of  Irish  birth  or 
extraction.  With  the  fall  of  Hincks  this  period  came 
to  a  close,  but  the  force  and  influence  of  the  Irishmen 
continued,  and  still  continue  to  be  felt  in  religious  and 
educational  matters,  and  in  every  line  of  occupation. 

Although  the  Irish  political  period  in  Canada  closed 
in  1854,  all  Irishmen  did  not  retire  from  politics.  Im- 
mediately after,  in  1856,  Mr.  John  A.  MacDonald  was  real 
premier  under  the  administration  of  M,  Tache,  and  John 
Sheridan  Hogan  and  Thomas  D'Arcy  McGee  were  pro- 
minent members  of  parliament.  McGee  died  a  martyr  to 
Canada,  for  whose  good  he  had  striven ;  he  was  shot  by 
a  fellow  countryman.  In  a  speech  delivered  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  Sir  John  A.  MacDonald  said  of  him  :  "  He 
who  last  night,  nay,  this  morning,  was  with  us,  whose 
voice  is  still  ringing  in  our  ears,  who  charmed  us  with 
his  marvellous  eloquence,  elevated  us  by  his  large  states- 
manship, and  instructed  us  by  his  wisdom,  his  patriotism, 


^68  IRELAND'S    STORY 

is  no  more  —  is  foully  murdered.  If  ever  a  soldier  who 
fell  on  the  field  of  battle  deserved  well  of  his  country, 
Thomas  D'Arcy  McGee  deserved  well  of  Canada  and  its 
people."  ^ 

Lord  Monck  was  governor  from  1861  to  1868,  and 
four  years  later,  in  1872,  Canada  received  its  greatest 
governor  since  the  time  of  Carleton,  namely  the  Earl  of 
Dufferin,  later  the  Marquis  of  Dufferin  and  Ava,  a  native 
of  County  Down.      (See  p.  362.) 

348.  The  Irish  in  Australia.  Among  the  Irishmen 
who  emigrated  to  Australia,  or  were  prominent  in  the 
government  there,  two  names  stand  out  above  all  the 
rest :  Charles  Gavan  Duffy,  who  has  since  been  knighted, 
and  Sir  Redmond  Barry.  Duffy  was  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Irish  revolutionary  movement  of  1848,  which 
ended  in  failure,  and  afterwards  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment from  the  crown  in  Australia,  where  he  was  for 
some  years  prime  minister  of  Victoria.  Sir  Redmond 
Barry,  famous  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  was  solicitor- 
general  for  the  colony  of  Victoria  prior  to  1851,  when  he 
became  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  He  was  a  native 
of  County  Cork,  was  educated  at  Trinity  College,  Dub- 
lin, and  was  looked  upon  as  a  man  of  great  learning 
and  broad-minded  views.  He  is  also  well  known  for  the 
interest  he  took  in  educational  matters,  and  has  left 
some  famous  inaugural  addresses  delivered  when  he  was 
chancellor  of  the  New  University  of  Melbourne.  The 
Earl  of  Belmore,  formerly  governor  and  commander-in- 
chief  of  New  South  Wales,  belongs  to  a  distinguished 
Fermanagh  family.  Names  like  O' Sullivan,  O'Connor, 
O'Connell,  Leahy,  and  Madden  are  conspicuous  in  the 
government  of  Australia  to-day. 

349.  Other  representative  Irishmen  of  the  British 
Empire.   The  Beresfords  of  Waterford  are  prominent  in 


THE    IRISH    IN    THE    BRITISH    EMPIRE       369 

the  British  navy.  Sir  Cornelius  Moloney  was  recently 
governor  and  commander-in-chief  of  British  Honduras. 
Sir  Jacob  Barry  was  judge-president  in  Cape  Colony. 
Sir  George  O'Rorke  of  Galway  was  for  a  generation 
eminent  in  the  government  of  New  Zealand.  John 
Tyndall,  the  great  physicist,  was  born  in  Carlow.  Lord 
Kelvin,  formerly  Sir  William  Thomson,  the  famous  elec- 
trical specialist,  belongs  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  Sir 
William  McCormac,  one  of  the  greatest  modern  sur- 
geons, was  born  in  Belfast. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV 

THE    IRISH    LITERARY    REVIVAL 

350.  Irish  writers  in  the  eighteenth  century.  We 
have  already  spoken  of  the  part  played  in  Irish  poHtics 
by  Jonathan  Swift  (1667-1745).  Swift  was 
born  in  Dublin,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  we 
can  trace  the  influences  which  surrounded  him  in  child- 
hood in  his  most  famous  work,  "Gulliver's  Travels." 
Among  the  entertainments  of  the  Irish  bards,  voyages 
to  wonderful  undiscovered  countries,  inhabited  by  strange 
people,  have  been  popular  since  the  days  of  Ossin,  and 
even  centuries  before  Ossin  journeyed  to  the  "  Land 
of  the  Young."  It  is  very  probable  that  Swift  may  have 
heard  some  of  these  stories  in  his  early  years,  and  that 
the  captivity  of  Gulliver  among  the  Lilliputians  may 
have  been  suggested  by  the  capture  of  the  son  of  Find 
and  his  detention  in  the  cavern  near  Killarney.  There 
is  certainly  a  genuine  Irish  spirit  in  the  mirth  and  wit 
and  humor  which  have  given  "  Gulliver's  Travels "  a 
place  in  universal  literature. 

Laurence  Sterne  (17 13-1768)  undoubtedly  owed  much 
of  the  color  and  a  good  deal  of  the  whimsical  humor  of 
his  works  to  his  life  in  Ireland.     Born  at  Clon- 
mel,  the  son  of  a  soldier,  the  first  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  wanderings  from  one  garrison  town  to 
another,  and  in  these  wanderings  he  gathered  the  mate- 
rial for  characters  like  Uncle  Toby  and  Corporal  Trim. 
Oliver  Goldsmith  (i  728-1774)  was   born  in   County 


THE    IRISH    LITERARY    REVIVAL  371 

Longford.  One  of  his  teachers  was  an  old  quartermaster, 
who,  besides  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic, 
gave  the  boy  a  complete  course  of  instruction 
concerning  ghosts,  banshees,  and  fairies.  This  teacher 
spoke  Irish,  and  even  extemporized  Irish  verse.  Gold- 
smith also  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  Irish  music, 
and  was  a  passionate  admirer  of  Carolan,  the  harper,  one 


OLIVER   GOLDSMITH 

1728-1774 

of  the  last  great  bards.  Hence  it  comes  that  there  is  far 
more  real  Irish  tenderness  and  sentiment  in  his  works 
than  in  those  of  the  two  writers  just  noticed.  There  is 
a  genuinely  Irish  note  of  lament  and  feeling  for  nature  in 
^'  The  Deserted  Village  "  :  — 

"  No  more  thy  glassy  brook  reflects  the  day, 
But,  chok'd  with  sedges,  works  its  weedy  way  ; 


372  IRELAND'S    STORY 

Along  thy  glades,  a  solitary  guest, 

The  hollow-sounding  bittern  guards  its  nest ; 

Amidst  thy  desert-walks  the  lapwing  flies, 

And  tires  their  echoes  with  unvaried  cries. 

Sunk  are  thy  bowers  in  shapeless  ruin  all, 

And  the  long  grass  o'ertops  the  mouldering  wall ; 

And,  trembling,  shrinking  from  the  spoiler's  hand, 

Far,  far  away  thy  children  leave  the  land." 

There  is  a  note  of  humor  of  which  Goldsmith  himself 
was  hardly  conscious,  in  his  description  of  America, 
whither  these  exiled  children  were  bound  :  — 

"  Where  at  each  step  the  stranger  fears  to  wake 
The  rattling  terrors  of  the  vengeful  snake ; 
Where  crouching  tigers  wait  their  hapless  prey. 
And  savage  men  more  murderous  still  than  they  ; 
While  oft  in  whirls  the  mad  tornado  flies, 
Mingling  the  ravag'd  landscape  with  the  skies." 

Edmund  Burke  (i  729-1 797)  has  a  deeper  and  more 
universal  value  than  any  of  these  writers,  and  is  one  of 
the  greatest  names  in  modern  literature.  He 
is  one  of  the  few  writers  who  invariably  bring 
every  subject  back  to  universal  principles,  and  this  is 
nowhere  more  evident  than  in  his  "  Speech  on  Concili- 
ation with  the  American  Colonies,"  when  he  came  for- 
ms plea  for  ward  on  March  22,  1775,  to  speak  in  the  Eng- 
America.  ]^g^  House  of  Commons  on  behalf  of  American 
liberty  :  "  The  proposition  is  peace.  Not  peace  through 
the  medium  of  war ;  not  peace  to  be  hunted  through  the 
labyrinth  of  intricate  and  endless  negotiations ;  not 
peace  to  arise  out  of  universal  discord  fomented,  from 
principle,  in  all  parts  of  the  empire  ;  not  peace  to  de- 
pend on  the  juridical  determination  of  perplexing  ques- 
tions, or  the  precise  marking  the  shadowy  boundaries 
of  a  complex  government.  It  is  simple  peace,  sought  in 
its  natural  course,  and  in  its  ordinary  haunts.    It  is  peace 


THE    IRISH    LITERARY    REVIVAL  373 

sought  in  the  spirit  of  peace,  and  laid  in  principles  purely 
pacific." 

In  contrast  with  Oliver  Goldsmith's  somewhat  fan- 
ciful picture  of  America  as  haunted  by  tigers  and  wild 
men,  is  Burke's  sound  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
American  colonies,  their  history,  and  constitutions,  and 
his  clear  vision  of  their  mighty  future :  "  If  you  drive 
the  people  from  one  place,  they  will  carry  on  their  an- 
nual tillage  and  remove  with  their  flocks  and  herds  to 
another.  Many  of  the  people  in  the  back  settlements  are 
already  little  attached  to  particular  situations.  Already 
they  have  topped  the  Appalachian  Mountains.  From 
thence  they  behold  before  them  an  immense  plain  —  one 
vast  rich  level  meadow,  a  square  of  five  hundred  miles. 
Over  this  they  would  wander  without  possibility  of  re- 
straint ;  they  would  change  their  manners  with  the 
habits  of  their  life  ;  would  soon  forget  a  government  by 
which  they  were  disowned  ;  would  become  hordes  of 
English  Tartars,  and,  pouring  down  upon  your  unforti- 
fied frontiers  a  fierce  and  irresistible  cavalry,  become 
masters  of  your  governors  and  your  counsellors,  your 
collectors  and  your  comptrollers,  and  all  of  the  slaves 
that  adhered  to  them."  This  great  Irishman  was  the 
first  man  in  Europe  to  foresee  the  marvellous  future 
growth  and  power  of  the  United  States. 

Richard  Brinsley  Sheridan  (1751-1816)  was  another 
Irishman  who  won  a  high  place  in  English  literature. 
His  two  greatest  achievements  were  an  elo- 
quent speech  in  favor  of  the  impeachment 
of  Warren  Hastings  for  misgovernment  in  India,  and 
a  series  of  comedies  of  which  "The  Rivals"  and  "The 
School  for  Scandal "  are  the  best  known.  It  is  worth 
remembering  that  the  plays  of  two  Irishmen,  Goldsmith 
and  Sheridan,   were   the  only  dramas    of    high  literary 


374 


IRELAND'S    STORY 


value  written,  during  nearly  a  century  and  a  half,  for  the 
English  stage  :  not  merely  good  acting  plays,  but  fine 
pieces  of  literature. 

351.  Nineteenth  century  authors.     Thomas  Moore 
(1779- 1 85 2)  was  the  first  writer  who  consciously  sought 

inspiration  in  the 
history,  traditions, 
and  romance  of  Ire- 
land. It  may  almost 
be  said  of  him  that 
he  alone  of  all  those 
who  have  been  men- 
tioned was  con- 
sciously an  Irish- 
man. He  is,  there- 
fore, the  morning 
star  of  the  Irish  lit- 
erary revival.  Moore 
chose  as  the  subject 
of  his  most  famous 
"  Irish  Melodies  " 
historical  events  like 
the  battle  of  Clon- 
tarf,  the  life  of  Saint 
Senanus,  the  tradi- 
tions of  Conn  of  the 
Hundred  Battles,  the  achievements  of  the  Red  Branch 
Knights,  the  Hermitage  of  St.  Kevin,  and  the  Revenge 
for  the  Death  of  Deirdre.  The  quality  of  Moore's  verse 
is  well  represented  in  the  "Song  of  Fionnuala  "  :  — 

"  Silent,  O  Moyle,  be  the  roar  of  thy  water, 
Break  not,  ye  breezes,  your  chain  of  repose, 
While,  murmuring  mournfully,  Lir's  lonely  daughter 
Tells  to  the  nio^ht  star  her  tale  of  woes." 


THOMAS    MOORE 

1779-1852 


THE    IRISH    LITERARY    REVIVAL  375 

Moore  was  not  only  a  writer  of  musical  verse,  but  also 
a  musician  whose  memory  was  filled  with  the  traditional 
melodies  of  the  Irish  harpers  and  bards.  To  these 
melodies  he  adapted  his  songs,  and  sang  them  himself 
with  eloquence  and  power.  He  was  a  favorite  figure  in 
London  society,  and  it  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  was 
the  first  to  make  the  Irish  spirit  and  the  Irish  tempera- 
ment in  any  way  intelligible  to  the  Enghsh  mind. 

Sir  Samuel  Ferguson  (18 10-1886)  is  the  most  con- 
siderable figure  in  the  period  which  divides  Moore  from 
the  living  Irish  poets.  His  knowledge  was  far 
more  profound  and  universal  than  Moore's.  He  ®^^^^°°' 
was  thoroughly  famiUar  with  the  Gaelic  traditions  from 
the  Book  of  Leinster  down  to  modern  times.  His  verse 
is  more  full  of  vigor,  and  he  has  taken  more  substantial 
themes.  Among  the  best  of  these  is  "  The  Tain  Quest." 
He  tells  how  — ■ 

"  Great  Cuchullin's  name  and  glory  filled  the  land  from  north  to 
south, 

Deirdre's  and  Clan  Usnach's  story  rife  I  found  in  every  mouth  ; 

Yea,  and  where  the  whitening  surges  spread  below  the  Herds- 
man's Hill 

Echoes  of  the  shout  of  Fergus  haunted  all  Glen  Etive  still." 

The  poet  tells  us  how  the  most  famous  tradition  of 
all,  the  Tain  Quest,  was  lost,  and  how  the  antique  bard 
finally  recovered  the  story  of  the  Tain  by  evoking  the 
spirit  of  Fergus,  who  had  taken  part  in  the  quest.  An 
impressive  stanza  tells  how  the  spirit  of  the  great  dead 
warrior  entered  the  banquet  hall  :  — 

*'  Heard  ye  not  the  tramp  of  armies  ?    Hark  !  amid  the  sudden  gloom 
'T  was  the  stroke  of  Conall's   war-mace  sounded  through  the 

startled  room; 
And,  while  still  the  hall  grew  darker,  King  and  courtier  chilled 

with  dread, 
Heard  the  rattling  of  the  war- car  of  Cuchullin  overhead." 


376  IRELAND'S    STORY 

Just  as  the  ancient  bard  evoked  the  spirit  of  Fergus, 
son  of  Roeg,  so  Sir  Samuel  Ferguson  evoked  the  historic 
traditions  of  Ireland  and  made  them  live  again  in  force- 
ful and  virile  verse. 

William  Butler  Yeats  (1866)  is  the  most  widely  known 
writer  of  the  Irish  literary  revival,  and  the  writer  whose 
style  has  reached  the  highest  level  of  excellence 
and  distinction.  If  Sir  Samuel  Ferguson's 
work,  in  its  heroic  vigor  and  force,  resembles  the  rugged 
traditions  of  the  Red  Branch  of  Concobar  and  Cuculaind, 
then  we  may  say  that  the  work  of  W.  B.  Yeats  revives 
the  fineness  and  distinction,  the  magic  and  music  of  Ossin, 
the  son  of  Find  ;  and  there  was  a  certain  fitness  in  his 
choice  of  the  warrior  poet  as  the  theme  of  his  first  con- 
siderable work  of  Irish  inspiration,  the  "  Wanderings  of 
Oisin."     He  makes  the  warrior  poet  speak  thus  :  — 

"  Caolte,  and  Conan,  and  Finn  were  there, 
When  we  followed  a  deer  with  our  baying  hounds, 
With  Bran,  Sgeolan,  and  Lomair, 
And  passing  the  Firbolgs'  burial  mounds, 
Came  to  the  cairn-heaped  grassy  hill 
Where  passionate  Maive  is  stony  still ; 
And  found  on  the  dove-gray  edge  of  the  sea 
A  pearl-pale,  high-born  lady,  who  rode 
On  a  horse  with  bridle  of  findrinny  ; 
And  like  a  sunset  were  her  lips, 
A  stormy  sunset  on  doomed  ships  ; 
A  citron  colour  gloomed  in  her  hair, 
But  down  to  her  feet  white  vesture  flowed. 
And  with  the  glimmering  crimson  glowed 
Of  many  a  figured  embroidery  ; 
And  it  was  bound  with  a  pearl-pale  shell 
That  wavered  like  the  summer  streams. 
As  her  soft  bosom  rose  and  fell." 

There  is  a  finer  and  more  subtle  music  here  than  in 
the  verse  of  Sir  Samuel  Ferguson,  or  the  melodies  of 


THE    IRISH    LITERARY    REVIVAL  377 

Thomas  Moore.  There  is,  perhaps,  less  of  ruggedness 
and  heroic  force  than  in  the  verses,  "  The  Tain  Quest." 
The  distinctive  quality  of  the  work  of  Yeats  seems  to 
be  this  :  he  has  carried  on  and  perfected  the  modern 
sense  of  the  music  of  words,  which  was  first  introduced 
into  English  poetry  by  Shelley,  and  after  Shelley  was 
developed  by  Rossetti  and  Swinburne.  There  is  much 
that  reminds  us  of  all  these  poets  in  the  work  of  Yeats, 
who  is,  in  a  sense,  their  heir.  From  them  also  he  has 
inherited  a  certain  unworldly,  ghost-like,  or  mystical 
atmosphere,  which,  to  be  perfectly  strict,  is  rather  pre- 
Raphaelite  than  Ossianic.  This  ghost-like  atmosphere 
is  well  exemplified  in  the  following  lines  from  "  The 
Land  of  Heart's  Desire." 

"  The  wind  blows  out  of  the  gates  of  the  day, 

The  wind  blows  over  the  lonely  of  heart, 
And  the  lonely  of  heart  is  withered  away, 

While  the  faeries  dance  in  a  place  apart, 
Shaking  their  milk-white  feet  in  a  ring, 

Tossing  their  milk-white  arms  in  the  air  ; 
For  they  hear  the  wind  laugh  and  murmur  and  sing 

Of  a  land  where  even  the  old  are  fair, 
And  even  the  wise  are  merry  of  tongue  ; 

But  I  heard  a  reed  of  Coolaney  say, 
When  the  wind  has  laughed  and  murmured  and  sung, 
'  The  lonely  of  heart  must  wither  away.' " 

George  Russell  (1867)  reaches  a  higher  and  more 
spiritual  inspiration  than  any  other  poet  of  the  Irish  lit- 
erary revival.  He  sees  the  world  only  as  a 
manifestation  of  spirit,  and  everything  he 
writes  is  full  of  this  sense  of  revelation.  He  uses  pure 
and  transparent  colors  like  the  colors  of  gems,  and  never 
paints  nature  from  mere  delight  in  sensuous  beauty.  It 
was  the  same  impersonal  sense  which  led  him  to  conceal 
the  authorship  of  his  ''  Homeward,  Songs  by  the  Way," 


378  IRELAND'S    STORY 

under  the  initial  ^,  which  is  for  him  the  symbol  of  an 
JEorif  or  creative  breath.  In  all  the  poems  in  this  book 
he  regards  life  as  a  path,  by  which  the  soul  finds  its  way 
homeward  :  — 

"  Blind  and  dense  with  revelation  every  moment  flies, 
And  unto  the  Mighty  Mother,  gay,  eternal,  rise 
All  the  hopes  we  hold,  the  gladness,  dreams  of  things  to  be. 
One  of  all  thy  generations,  Mother,  hails  to  thee  ! 
Hail !  and  hail !  and  hail  forever  :  though  I  turn  again 
From  thy  joy  unto  the  human  vestiture  of  pain. 
I,  thy  child,  who  went  forth  radiant  in  the  golden  prime 
Find  thee  still  the  mother-hearted  through  my  night  in  time ; 
Find  in  thee  the  old  enchantment,  there  behind  the  veil 
Where  the  Gods  my  brothers  linger.  Hail !  forever,  Hail !  " 

It  is  giving  honor  where  honor  is  due,  to  record  the 
fact  that  the  two  eloquent  writers  last  mentioned  owe 
John  much  of  the  Irish  inspiration  in  their  verse  to 

O'Leary.  ^Y\q  influence  of,  John  O'Leary,  who  was  the 
central  figure  in  the  literary  society  of  Dublin  when  they 
began  to  write.  To  the  same  circle  belonged  a  number 
of  other  writers  of  sterling  worth,  like  Katherine  Tynan, 
Rosa  Mulholland,  Dora  Sigerson,  T.  W.  Rolleston,  and 
George  Sigerson,  These  writers  taken  together  form 
a  school  of  verse  which  is  one  of  the  chief  glories  of 
the  Irish  literary  revival. 

352.  The  revival  of  Gaelic.  Perhaps  even  more  sig- 
nificant than  this  rich  harvest  in  contemporary  verse  is 
the  study  of  Gaelic,  which  has  resulted  in  the  produc- 
tion of  many  admirable  texts  and  translations,  and  in  a 
considerable  extension  of  Gaelic  as  a  spoken  tongue. 
The  most  remarkable  single  work  so  far  produced  is 
O'Donovan's  splendid  edition  and  translation  of  the 
"Annals  of  the  Four  Masters."  Next  come  facsimiles 
of  ancient  texts  like  "The  Book  of  Leinster,"  edited  for 
the  Royal  Irish  Academy  by  Dr.  Atkinson.    Due  recog- 


THE    IRISH    LITERARY    REVIVAL  379 

nitioD  should  be  given  to  the  work  of  continental  schol- 
ars like  Zeuss,  Zimmer,  and  D'Arbois  de  Jubainville. 
Among  contemporary  scholars  special  credit  is  due  to 
Drs.  Whitley  Stokes,  Joyce,  and  Douglas  Hyde.  Douglas 
Besides  his  more  learned  works,  Douglas  Hyde  ^y^®- 
has  written  much  musical  verse.  He  is  at  his  best  in  the 
translations  from  Saint  Columba  :  — 

"  Alas  for  the  voyage,  O  high  King  of  Heaven 

Enjoined  upon  me, 
For  that  I  on  the  red  plain  of  bloody  Cooldrevin 

Was  present  to  see. 
How  happy  the  son  is  of  Dima  ;  no  sorrow 

For  him  is  designed, 
He  is  having,  this  hour,  round  his  own  hill  in  Durrow, 

The  wish  of  his  mind. 
The  sounds  of  the  winds  in  the  elms,  like  the  strings  of 

A  harp  being  played, 
The  note  of  the  blackbird  that  claps  with  the  wings  of 

Delight  in  the  glade." 

Side  by  side  with  this  literary  and  linguistic  revival 
has  come  an  awakening  interest  in  every  department  of 
Irish  tradition,  art,  and  archaeology,  the  details  of  which 
are  far  too  numerous  to  be  mentioned  here.  This  is  only 
the  beginning  of  a  complete  revelation  to  the  world  of 
the  spirit  of  the  Irish  race. 


APPENDIX 

SOME    IRISH    SURNAMES 

As  explained  in  the  note  on  Brehon  Law  (see  section 
12),  all  Irish  surnames  were  originally  patronymics  ;  that 
is,  names  formed  from  the  name  of  the  father  or  grand- 
father. These  names  have  the  prefixes  Mac,  "son,"  and 
Hiia,  Ua,  or  O,  as  the  word  successively  became,  **  grand- 
irish  patro-  SOU,"  identical  with  the  Greek  word  vtd?,  Huios, 
nymics.  ''son."  During  the  purely  Irish  period,  which 
ended  about  the  time  of  Roderick  O'Conor,  nearly  all 
Irish  families  traced  their  descent  from  the  three  sons 
of  Milid,  —  Heber,  Eremon,  and  Ir  ;  a  few  claimed  descent 
from  Ithe,  the  uncle  of  Milid.  One  may  find  an  exact 
parallel  in  the  English  pedigrees,  traced  to-day  from 
ancestors  who  "  came  over  with  William  the  Conqueror," 
or  in  Russian  pedigrees  of  families  "  descended  from 
Rurik,"  the  Norse  conqueror  of  Russia.  We  shall  illus- 
trate the  subject  by  giving  a  number  of  names  traced 
by  tradition  from  these  founders  of  the  Irish  race,  show- 
ing their  early  Gaelic  form  and  spelling,  and  adding  the 
derivations  which  are  given  for  a  number  of  them,  in 
"O'Hart's  Irish  Pedigrees."  Some  of  these  derivations 
are  conjectural,  while  others  are  undoubtedly  correct. 
Where  practicable,  we  shall  add  the  first  occurrence  of 
each  name  in  the  "  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  "  ;  but  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  custom  of  using  surnames 
does  not  seem  to  have  become  general  before  the  time 
of  the  Danish  raids,  though  all  the  pedigrees  to  which 


SOME    IRISH    SURNAMES  381 

these  surnames  belong  go  back  to  the  dawn  of  Irish 
tradition.  Their  preservation  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the 
institution  of  heraldry,  it  being  the  duty  of  the  herald  to 
enumerate  the  ancestors  of  his  chief,  with  a  list  of  their 
exploits.  We  can  only  give  a  few  out  of  many  Irish 
surnames,  selecting  those  which  are  most  famous,  and 
those  whose  origin  is  most  completely  obscured  by  the 
modern  spelling.  It  should  be  understood  that  these 
names  were  written  down  by  Englishmen  who  could 
neither  pronounce  nor  spell  Gaelic ;  if  an  Englishman 
ignorant  of  French  were  to  try  to  write  down  French 
surnames  by  ear,  we  should  have  a  similar  and  equally 
unrecognizable  result. 

Surnames  of  families  descended  from  Heber. 

Casey  (O'Cathasaigh,  descendant  of  Cathasach);  lords  of 
Saithne,  a  subdivision  of  Magh  Breagh,  in  Meath.  "  An- 
nals of  the  Four  Masters  "  :  "a.  d.  1018  :  Oissene  O'Catha- 
saigh, lord  of  Mughdhorna,  lord  of  Saithne,  slain." 

Clancy  (MacFlannchadha,  son  of  Flannchadh,  from  flaiin^ 
blood,  indicating  red);  "a.  d.  1241  :  Domnall  MacFlann- 
chadha, chief  of  Dartry,  died." 

CoGHLAN  (MacCoghlain,  son  of  Coghlan,  from  cochal,  a 
cowl  or  hood) ;  "a.  d.  1134:  Aedh  MacCoghlain,  lord  of 
Dealbhna-Eathra  (Delvin,  now  part  of  the  King's  County), 
died." 

CuLLEN  (O'Cuillen,  descendant  of  Coilean,  from  coiiean,  a 
young  warrior);  "a.  d.  1109:  Maelisa  O'Cuillen,  noble 
bishop  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  died." 

HoGAN  (O'h-Ogain,  descendant  of  Ogan,  from  oga?i,  youth)  ; 
"a.  d.  1091  :  Ceannfaeladh  O'h-Ogain,  successor  of  Bre- 
nainn,  died." 

Kearney  (O'Cearnaigh,  descendant  of  Cearnach,  from  cear- 
nach,  victorious);  "a.  d.  1096  :  Eoghan  O'Cearnaigh,  air- 
chineach  of  Doire,  died." 


382  IRELAND'S    STORY 

Kennedy  (O'Ceinneidigh,  descendant  of  Ceinneidigh);  "a.  d. 
1 180  :  Domnall  O'Ceinneidigh,  lord  of  Ormond,  died." 

MacCarthy  (MacCarthaigh,  son  of  Cartach,  commander 
against  the  Danes  in  a.  d.  1045).     Lords  of  Desmond. 

MacEniry  (Maclneirghe,  son  of  Ingeirci,  from  eirg/ie,  a 
rising);  "a.  d.  1029:  Cinnaed  Maclneirghe,  lord  of  Conallo 
(in  Limerick),  slain  in  battle." 

MacMahon  (MacMathghamhna,  son  of  Mathghamhain,  who 
was  son  of  Turlogh  Mor,  king  of  Ireland,  who  died  a.  d. 
1086);  lords  of  Corco-Baiscinn,  in  Clare. 

MacNamara  (MacConmara,  son  of  Cumara,  from  cu,  warrior, 
and  mara,  of  the  sea) ;  "a.  d.  1099:  Domnall  MacConmara, 
lord  of  Ui-Caisin,  died." 

MoRiARTY  (O'Muircheartaigh,  son  of  Muirceartach,  from 
7717117',  sea,  and  cea7i,  just)  ;  "  A.  d.  1107  :  O'Muircheartaigh, 
lord  of  Eoghanacht  of  Loch  Leine  (Killarney),  was  expelled 
from  his  lordship  by  MacCarthy,  king  of  Desmond." 

O'Brien  (O'Briain,  descendant  of  Brian  (Boru),  who  was 
descended  from  Cormac  Cas,  second  son  of  Olioll  Olum, 
king  of  Munster,  by  his  wife  Sabh,  daughter  of  Conn  of 
the  Hundred  Battles ;  from  bria7i,  great  strength).  In 
modern  times  the  O'Briens  were  marquises  of  Thomond, 
earls  of  Inchiquin,  and  barons  of  Burren  ;  many  of  them 
were  distinguished  commanders  of  the  Irish  Brigade  in 
France,  as  earls  of  Clare  and  counts  of  Thomond. 

O'Carroll  (O'Cearbhaill,  descendant  of  Cearbhall,  from 
cearbhall,  slaughter);  "a.  d.  1043:  O'Cearbhaill,  lord  of 
Fearnmhagh,  slain." 

O'CoRCORAN  (O'Corcrain,  descendant  of  Corcran,  from  corcra, 
red);  "  a.  d.  iooi  :  Cahalan  O'Corcrain,  abbot  of  Devenish, 
died." 

O'Daly  (O'Dalaigh,  descendant  of  Dalach);  "  a.  D.,  1139: 
Cuchonnacht  O'Dalaigh,  chief  ollav  in  poetry,  died." 

O'DoNOGHUE  (O'Donchadha,  descendant  of  Donchadh) ; 
"a.  d.  igig:  Flann,  son  of  O'Donchadha,  successor  of  St. 
Enda,  of  Ara  (in  Tipperary)  died."  Dunghal  O'Don- 
chadha, king  of  Cashel,  fought  at  Clontarf,  1014. 


SOME    IRISH    SURNAMES  383 

O'DoNOVAN  (O'Donnobhain,  descendant  of  Donnobhan,  who 

was  defeated  and  slain  by  Brian  Boru  in  976).    Lords  of 

Clancahill. 
O'Gara  (O'Gadhra,    descendant  of    Gadhra);  "a.    d.  964: 

Tiachleach   O'Gadhra    was    slain ;  he   was   lord  of   South 

Luighne,"  or  Leyney,  in  Sligo. 
O  Grady  (O'Gradhaighe,  descendant  of    Gradach)  ;    "  a.  d. 

1151  :  Aneslis  O'Gradhaighe  slain  "    Lords  of  Cinel  Dung- 

haile  in  Claire. 
O'Hara    (O'h-Eadhradh     or     O'h-Eaghra,     descendant    of 

Eaghra)  ;  Eaghra  was  son   of  Poprigh,    lord    of  Luighne, 

or  Leyney,  who  died  in  a.  d.  926. 
O'Keefe  (O'Caoimhe,  descendant  of  Caimh) ;  "a.  d.  1063: 

Ceallach  O'Caoimhe,  anchorite,  died."     Lords  of   Glean- 

namhnach. 
O'Leary    (O'Laoghaire,    descendant     of     Laoghaire ;    from 

laer,  sea,  and  righ,  king,  king  of  the  sea). 
O'Lonergan    (O'Longargain,    descendant    of    Longargain, 

from    longair,    a    ship's    crew);    "a.    d.    1099:       Annudh 

O'Longargain,  successor  of  Colum,  died." 
O'Mahony    (O'Mathghamhna,    descendant   of    Mathgham- 

hain ;  perhaps  from  maghghabhuin,   a  bear,  literally  a  calf 

of   the    plain);  "a.  D.   1113:  Eochaidh   O'Mathghamhna, 

king  of  Ulidia." 
O'SuLLiVAN     (O'Suilleabhain,     descendant     of     Suillebhan, 

irovn.  suilebhan,    one-eyed);  descended    from   Aodh  Dubh, 

king  of  Munster.     "a.   d.    1253:    Ailinn   O'Suilleabhain, 

bishop   of  Lismore,    died."     Lords   of  Beara,   now    Bere- 

haven,  Cork. 
Plunkett   (O'Pluingceid,    descendant    of    Pluingcead,  from 

plane,  strike,  and  cead,  first).    Descended  from    Doncadh, 

son  of  Brian  Boru.     Lords  of  Fingal. 
Plunket  (same  origin),  at   present,  lords  of  Louth,  Fingal, 

and  Dunsany. 
QuiNN  (O'Cuinn,   descendant  of  Conn,  that  is,    Conn   Mor, 

whose  son  Niall  was  slain  at  Clontarf,  a.  d.  1014;  "a.  d. 


384  IRELAND'S    STORY 

1095  :  Augustin  O'Cuinn,  chief  brehon  (judge)  of  Leinster, 
died." 

Some  families  descended  from  Ithe. 

Barry  (O'Baire,  descendant  of  Barrach) ;  "  a.  d.  1240:  In 
this  monastery  Barrach  Mor  was  also  interred." 

Coffey  (O'Cobhthaigh,  descendant  of  Cobthach  Fionn, 
from  cobthach.,  victorious):  "a.  d.  1203:  Ainmire 
O'Cobhthaigh,  abbot  of  the  church  of  Derry-Columkille." 

Some  families  descended  from  Ir. 

Cahill     (O'Cathail,     descendant    of   Cathal,    from    cathal, 

valor);    "a.  d.   1033:    Aenghus  O'Cathail,  lord  of  Eogh- 

anacht-Locha-Lein  (in  Kerry),  killed." 
Guinness  or  MacGuinness    (MacAenghusa,    son    of   Aen- 
ghus); "a.  d.  956:    Domnall   MacAenghusa,  lord  of  Ui- 

Eathach  (Iveagh,  Down),  died."    Descended  from  Aengus, 

grandson  of  Tiobrad  Tireach,  king  of  Ulster,  contemporary 

with  Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles. 
Healy  (O'h-Ealighe,  descendant  of  Eilighe);  "a.  d.   1342: 

Conor  O'h-Eilighe,  died."     Lords  of  Baile-Ui-Eilighe,  now 

Hollybrook,  in  Sligo. 
Lynch    (O'Loingsigh,   descendant   of    Longseach,  father  of 

one   of     the    kings   of  Ulster,     from  lo?igseach,    mariner); 

"a.  D.  1030:    Conchobhar  O'Loingsigh."     Lords    of    Dal- 

Araidhe. 
Moore   (O'Mordha,   descendant   of  Mordha,  from    7nordha, 

proud);    "a.    d.     1017  :     Cearnach     O'Mordha,     lord     of 

Laeighis  (Leix),  killed." 
O'Farrell   rO'Fearghail,  descendant    of    Feargal,    king   of 

Conmacne,  who  was  killed  at  Clontarf,  1014). 
Reynolds   (MacRaghnall,    son    of    Ragnal);    "a.  d.    1237: 

Cathal  MacRaghnall,  chief  of  Muintir-Eolais." 
Shanly  (O'Seanlaoich,  descendant  of  Seanlaoch,  from  scan, 

old,  and  laoch,  hero). 
Ward  (Mac  an-Bhaird,   son   of  the   bard,  that   is,  of  Shane, 

son  of  Conor,  bard  of  Ulster.     1356). 


SOME    IRISH    SURNAMES  385 

Some  farailies  descended  from  Eremon. 

Agnew  (MacGniomhaighe,  son  of  Gniomhach,  from  gniomh^ 

active) ;  descended  from  Eoin  MacDonnell-Gniomhach. 
Boyle  (O'Baoighill,  descendant    of   Baoghal,  from   baoghal^ 

peril);  ''a.  d.  1099:  Caenchomhrac  O'Baoighail,  bishop  of 

Ard-Maca." 
Brady  (O'Bruide,  descendant  of  Bruid) ;  "a.  d.  1256:  Tier- 
nan  MacBrady,  slain."     Chiefs  of  Cuil-Brighdin,  in  East 

Brefny. 
Coleman  (O'Columain,  descendant  of  Colman  Mor,  son  of 

Diarmaid,  king  of  Ireland),     ''a.  d.  1081  :  Cucatha  O'Col- 

main,  died." 
Conway  (MacConmidhe,    son    of    Cumidhe) ;  "a.  d.   1095: 

Amhlaeibh  MacConmidhe^  chief  of  Silronain,  slain." 
CoRRiGAN(0'Coraidhegain,  descendant  of  Coraidhegan,  from 

cor  aid  he,  hero). 
CowELL  (MacCathmhaoil,  son    of    Cathmal)  ;  "a.  d.   1185: 

Gillchreest  MacCathmhaoil,  chief  of  Kinel-Farry." 
Croly  (O'Cruaidh-locha,  from  cruaidh^  hard,  and  laoch,  hero, 

meaning  hardy  champion). 
Darcy  (O'Dorchaidhe,  descendant  of  Dorchadh,  from  dor- 

chadh,  dark)  ;  "  a.  d.  1484  :  Edmund,  son  of  Darcy." 
Dempsey  (O'Dimasaigh,  "  descendant  of  Dimasach  ")  ;  "  a.  d. 

1 162:  Ceallach  O'Dimasaigh,  slain." 
Dillon  (Dilmhain,  from  dile,  flood) ;  descended  from  Lochan 

Dilmhain,  brother  of  Colman  Mor,  king  of  Meath.     "a.  d. 

1352  :  Dabuck  Dilmhain,  chief  of  the  Dilmhains  of  Con- 

nacht,  died." 
DoHERTY  (O'Dochartaigh,  descendant  of  Dochartach,  from 

doc/iar,  harm)  ;  "a.  d.  1188  :  Eachmarcach  O'Dochartaigh," 

who    afterwards   became    chief    of    Kinel-Connell.      Also 

chiefs  of  Ardmire  and  Inishowen. 
Dowling    (O'Dunlaing,     descendant    of    Dunlaing);    '*a.  d. 

1041  :  Cuicche  O'Dunlaing,  lord  of  Laeighis  (Leix),  slain." 
Dunne  (O'Duinn,  descendant  of  Dunn,  from  d7i7i,  fortress)  ; 


386  IRELAND'S    STORY 

"a.  D.  1023:   Donnchadh  O'Duinn,  lord  of  Breagh,  seized 

upon." 
DwYER   (O'Duibhidhir,   descendant   of    Duibhuidhir) ;  a.  d. 

1369. 
Egan  (O'h-Aedhagain,  descendant  of  Aedhaghan,  from  aedh^ 

"  eye,"    and    aghain,    "  kindle  ") ;    "  a.   d.   945  :    Scolaighe 

O'h-Aedhagain,  lord  of  Dartraighe  (Dartry),  slain." 
Ferguson  (MacFearghusa,  son  of  Feargus,  from  fear^  man, 

and  gus,  "  strength"). 
FiNNERTY  (O'Finnachta,  descendant  of  Fionnachtach,  that  is, 

"  snow-white,"  one  of  the  twelve  lords  of  Cruachan)  ;  "a.  d. 

878  ;  Suibhne  O'Finnachta,  bishop  of  Cilldara  (Kildare), 

died." 
Flynn   (O'Flainn,    descendant    of    Flann) ;    "a.  d.    1036: 

Aenghus  O'Flainn,  successor  of  Brennain  of  Cluainfearta, 

died." 
Gaffney  (MacGamhnaigh,    son  of   Gamhnach  ;   descended 

from  Gothfrith  Gamhnach). 
Gallagher  (O'Gallchobhair,   descendant   of  Gallchobhar) ; 

"a.    d.    1022:    Maelcobha    O'Gallchobhair,    successor   of 

Scrin-Adhamhnain,  died." 
Griffin  (O'Criomhthain,  "  descendant  of  Criomhthan,"  from 

criomthmi,  "fox");  a.  d.  1225. 
Hart  (O'h-Airt,  descendant  of  Art);   "a.  d.  1087:  Maelru- 

anaidh  O'h-Airt,  lord  of  Teathba,  died." 
Hennesy  (MacAenghusa,  son  of  Aengus,  from  aon,  excellent, 

zxi^  gus,  strength);   "a.  D.  956:  Domnall  MacAenghusa; 

lord  of  the  Ui-Eathach,  died." 
Higgins    (O'h-Uigin,     descendant     of     Uigin,    from    uige, 

strength) ;    "  A.   D.   1349  :    Gilla-na-naev    O'h-Uigin,    poet, 

died." 
Kavanagh     (O'Caomhanaigh,     descendant     of     (Domnall) 

Caomhanach);  "a.  d.   1175  :  Domnall   Caomhanach,  son 

of  Dermot,  king  of  Leinster,  slain."     From  this  comes  the 

French  Cavaignac. 
Kelly    (O'Ceallaigh,    descendant    of     Ceallach) ;    "a.    d. 


SOME    IRISH   SURNAMES  387 

1014:  Aedh  O'Ceallaigh,  son  of  Tadhg,  son  of  Murchadh, 

lord  of  Ui-Maine,  slain." 
Keogh  (MacEochaidh,  son  of  Eochaidh,  great-grandson  of 

Eanna  Ceannsalach,  king  of  Leinster  in  the  time  of  Saint 

Patrick.    From  eackach,  horseman,  Latin  eqiies). 
KiLLBRiDE     (MacGioUa-Brighid,    son    of    the    devotee     of 

Bridget). 
Lawlor     (O'Leathlobhair,     descendant    of     Leathlobhar) ; 

"a.  D.  912  :  Loingseach  O'Leathlobhair,  king  of  Ulidia." 
Macaulay  (MacAmhalghadha,  son  of  Amhalghadha)  ;  "a.  d. 

1082  :  Finnchadh  MacAmhalghadha,  chief  of   Clann  Brea- 

sail,  died." 
Macdermot   (MacDairmuid,  son  of  Diarmaid,    from    Diar- 

maid,  god  of  arms);  "a.  d.  1176:  Conor   MacDiarmuid, 

lord  of  Moylurg." 
MacDowell  (MacDubhghaill,  son  of   the   Dark   Foreigner, 

Dubh  Ghall,  who  was  king  of  the  Western  Isles  in  1144). 
MacSheehy   (MacSithaigh,   son  of  Sithach) ;    "a.  d.    1397: 

John  MacSheehy,  slain." 
MacSweeny    (MacSuibhne,  son  of   Suibhne);   "a.  d.  1356: 

Dowell  MacSweeny,  slain." 
Madden  (O'Madadhain,  descendant  of    Madadhan) ;  "a.  d. 

1047  •  Muircheartach,  lord  of  Ui-Breasail,  slain." 
Maguire    (MacUidhir,    son  of    Odhar,    from    odhar,    pale- 
faced);  "a.  d.  1344:  Brian  Maguire,  son  of  Rory,  died." 
MoLLOY    (O'Maoilmhuaidh,    descendant   of    Maelmhuadh) ; 

"a.  d.  1156:  Aedh  O'Maoilmhuaidh,  lord  of  Feara-Ceall, 

slain." 
Morgan    (O'Muiregain,    descendant    of     Muiregan,    from 

muiregan,  mariner). 
Murray    (O'Muireadhaigh,     descendant    of    Muireadach); 

"a.  d.   1086:  O'Muireadhaigh,  chief  of  Muintir-Tlamain, 

slain." 
O'Byrne,  Byrne    (O'Brain,    descendant    of    Bran)  ;    a.    d. 

1 1 19:  "Aedh  O'Brain,  lord  of  Leinster,  died."    Lords  of 

Ranelagh  (Wicklow). 


388  IRELAND'S    STORY 

O'Connor  (O'Conchobhair,  descendant  of  Conchobhar, 
the  helping  warrior);  "a.  d.  1036:  Aedh-an-gha-bhear- 
naigh  O'Conchobhair  (Hugh  of  the  Broken  Spear),  king 
of  Connacht." 

O'Flaherty  (O'Flaithbhearthaigh,  descendant  of  Flaith- 
bheartach)  ;  "  a.  d.  968  :  Murchadh  O'Flaithbheartaigh, 
lord  of  Aileach." 

O'GoRMAN  (O'Gormain,  MacGormain,  descendant  of  Gor- 
man, from  gor??ian,  illustrious);  "a.  d.  1123  :  Aenghus 
O'Gormain,  successor  of  Comhgall,  died." 

O'Hagan  (O'h-Ocain,  descendant  of  Ocan);  "  a.  d.  1103  : 
Raghnall  O'h-Ocain,  lawgiver  of  Telach-Og,  slain." 

O'Hanlon  (O'h-Anluain,  descendant  of  Anluan)  ;  "a.  d. 
mi  :  Donnchadh  O'h-Anluain,  lord  of  Ui-Niallain,  slain." 

O'MuRPHY,  Murphy  (O'Murchadha,  descendant  of  Mur- 
chadh); "a.  d.  103 1  :  Flaithbheartach  O'Murchadha, 
chief  of  Cinel-Boghaine,  slain." 

O'Neill  (descendants  of  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages,  who 
were  taken  from  Ulster,  Leinster,  Munster,  Connacht, 
Britain,  Pictland,  Dalriada,  Saxonland,  Morini  (France); 
in  Irish,  Niall  Naoi  Ghiallach).  Monarchs  of  Ireland,  and 
kings  of  Ulster. 

O'Reilly  (O'Ragheallaigh,  descendant  of  Raghallach  who 
was  slain  at  Clontarf,  1014). 

O'RouRKE  (O'Ruairc,  descendant  of  Ruarc);  "a.  d.  990: 
Aedh  O'Ruairc,  heir  of  Connacht,  slain." 

O'Shaughnessy  (O'Seachnasaigh,  descendant  of  Seachna- 
sach)  ;  "a.  d.  1040  :  Diarmaid  O'Seachnasaigh,  successor 
of  Seachnall,  died." 

O'Shea  (O'Seaghdha,  descendant  of  Seaghdha) ;  "  a.  d.  1095  : 
Mathghamhain  O'Seaghdha,  lord  of  Corca-Duibhne,  died." 

O'TooLE  (O'Tuathail,  descendant  of  Tuathal);  Tuathal, 
the  left-handed,  died  in  a.  d.  956. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  these  are  only  a  few 
names,  selected  from  a  very  large  number  which  existed 


SOME    IRISH    SURNAMES  389 

in  Ireland  before  the  coming  of  the  Normans  ;  many  of 
those  omitted  for  lack  of  space  are  descended  from 
equally  distinguished  warriors,  judges,  or  poets.  There 
are  two  more  chief  divisions  of  Irish  family  names  be- 
sides the  original  Gaelic :  Norman  names  like  De 
Courcy  and  Fitzgerald,  and  English  or  Scotch  names 
belonging  to  families  brought  over  during  the  various 
plantations. 


INDEX 


The  locations  of  places  mentioned  on  the  maps  are  also  given. 


Adriatic  Sea,  77iap,  247,  H3. 
Aed,son  of  Ainmire,  colony  in  Scot- 
land refuses  to  pay  tribute  to,  64. 
Agriculture,   department    of,    336, 

337- 

Ailill,  King  of  Connaught,  22. 

Ainmire,  son  of  Sedna,  64. 

Alba,  map,  29,  Di. 

Algeria,  map,  247,  E4. 

Almanza,  map,  247,  D4. 

Anglican  Church,  192  ;  rule  of,  re- 
stored by  Charles  II,    210. 

Anglo-Irish  Catholics,  one  of  the 
four  parties  in  Ireland  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  17th  century,  192. 

Angouleme,  map,  247,  E2. 

Annaly,  county  of  Longford  formed 
out  of,  159. 

Anne,  Queen,  succeeds  William  on 
the  English  throne   in  1702,  243. 

Annesley  Case,  254,  255. 

Antrim,  surrendered  to  Cromwell 
by  George  Munro,  203  ;  location, 
map,  113,  E2  ;  map,  iSo,  B5. 

Antrim  County,  organized,  165. 

Ardagh,  chalice  of,  pictiire,  68. 

Ardee,  88;  map,  113,  E3. 

Arklow,  attacked  by  insurgents  in 
Irish  Rebellion,  280;  location, 
map,  169,  E4. 

Armagh,  book  of,  86. 

Armagh,  church  founded  by  St. 
Patrick  at,  50;  plundered  by 
Norsemen,  69 ;  seat  of  one  of  the 
four  archbishops,  92 ;  location, 
map,  53,  A3. 

Armagh  County,  one  of  the  seven 
counties  into  which  Perrott  di- 
vided Ulster,  165;  location,  wa/, 
180,  B5. 

Armorial  bearings  of  the  Butlers, 
Earls  of  Ormond, //W«r^,  144. 


Armorial  bearings  of  the  Fitz- 
geralds.  Earls  of  Kildare,  picture, 

143; 

Assisi,  map,  247,  G3. 

At  Boy  (Yellow  Ford),  W2^/,1 13,  E2. 

At-Cliat.    See  Dublin. 

Athenry,  battle  of,  119;  location, 
map,  113,  C 3. 

Athlone,  castle  oi, picture,  231. 

Athlone,  bridge  of,  93  ;  taken  by 
Sir  Charles  Coote,  205;  captured 
by  Ginkel,  230-232;  location,  map, 
53,  B2  ;  map,  169,  D3. 

Aughrim,  battle  of,  232,  233;  map, 
169,  C3. 

Austerlitz,  map,  247,  H2. 

Austria,  Irish  in,  334,  335 ;  loca- 
tion, map,  247,  H2. 

"  Back  Lane  Parliament,"  draws  up 
petition  for  removal  of  some  of 
the  penal  laws,  274. 

Badge  of  the  Down  Volunteers, 
picture,  267. 

Bagenal,  Sir  Henry,  military  com- 
mander of  Ireland,  166;  sent  to 
reheve  Portmore,  168  ;  position 
of  his  army  at  Yellow  Ford,  169  ; 
killed  at  batde  of  the  Yellow  Ford, 
170. 

Balfour,  Arthur  James,  becomes 
chief  secretary  for  Ireland,  330; 
policy  of,  330  ;  picture,  331  ;  turns 
his  attention  to  the  "  congested 
districts,"  330,  331  ;  forms  "  Con- 
gested Districts  Board,"  332  ;  be- 
comes prime  minister,  334. 

Ballaghboy,  batde  of  "  The  Yellow- 
Pass  "  fought  at,  171;  location, 
map,' 16^,  C2. 

Ballymore,  map,  169,  C2. 

Ballyshannon,  168;  map,  169,  C2. 


392 


INDEX 


Balor  of  the  Evil  Eye,  3, 

Baltic  Sea,  map,  i. 

Baltimore,  175;  map,  169,  B5, 

Baltinglass  Mountains,  map,  180, 
D5. 

Bangor,  college  of,  56 ;  location, 
map,  53,  A4;  map,  169,  F'2. 

Bannockburn,  jnap,  247,  D. 

Bann  River,  map,  180,  B5. 

Bantry  Bay,  176;  map,  169,  B5; 
map,  180,  Ei. 

Barrow  River,  map,  53,  B3. 

Barry,  Sir  Jacob,  369. 

Barry,  John,  352. 

Barry,  Sir  Redmond,  368. 

Bavaria,  map,  247,  G2. 

Bear,  176;  map,  180,  E2. 

Belfast  Lough,  7nap,  53,  A4 ;  map, 
180,  B6. 

Belfast,  surrenders  to  Cromwell, 
202 ;  celebrates  anniversary  of 
the  fall  of  the  Bastile,  273 ;  loca- 
tion, map,  53,  A4  ;  map,  180,  B6. 

Belgrade,  7nap,  247,  I3. 

Bellingham,  Sidney  Robert,  367. 

Bell  of  St.  Patrick, //V/«;r,  51. 

Benburb,  battle  of,  196,  197  ;  loca- 
tion, map,  169,  E2  ;  map,  180,  B5. 

Bigar,  Joseph,  327. 

Biscav,  bay  of,  map,  I. 

"Bla6k  Rent,"  126. 

Black  Sea,  7nap,  247,  K3. 

Blackwater  River  (northern),  map, 
180,  B5  . 

Blackwater  River  (southern),  10; 
map,  180,  D3. 

Blackwater,  capture  of  the  Fort  of 
the,  from  O'Neill  by  Lord  Bor- 
ough, 1597,  picture,  167. 

Blackwood,  Frederick  Temple  Ham- 
ilton, career  of,  363. 

Blenheim,  341  ;  map,  247,  G2. 

Bobbio,  81  ;  map,  247,  F3. 

Bond,  Oliver,  United  Irishmen  hold 
meetings  at  house  of,  277. 

Book  of  Kells,  85;  facsimile  of  a 
page  from,  picture,  85. 

Borough,  Lord,  appointed  Lord 
Lieutenant  by  Queen  Elizabeth 
and  arrives  in  Ireland,  167  ;  killed 
at  battle  of  Drumflugh,  168. 

Boru,  Brian,  defeated  by  Norsemen, 
72;  defeats  Norsemen  at  Sulcoit, 
72;  defeats  king  of  Leinster,  74; 


made  High  King,  74;  his  rule, 
75;  killed  at  battle  of  Clontarf, 
76. 

Boruma  Tribute,  origin,  28 ;  relin- 
quished, 64. 

Boulter,  Anglican  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  his  influence  in  Ireland, 
257- 

Bourke,  Richard  Southwell,  career 
of,  362. 

Boyne  River,  25;  battle  of  the,  220- 
222  ;  7nap,  iSo,  C5. 

Bragganstown,  125;  map,  180,  C5. 

Breas,  messenger  of  the  De  Da- 
nanns,  2. 

Brehon  Laws,  in  regard  to  family 
and  tribe,  16,  17;  criminal  law, 
18;  revised  by  St.  Patrick,  50; 
condition  of,  in  the  14th  century, 
127  ;  effect  of  the  Statute  of  Kil- 
kenny on,  129;  policy  of  Perrott 
in  regard  to,  164. 

Brest,  7uap,  247,  D2. 

Bright,  John,  realizes  that  England 
must  redress  Irish  grievances, 
321. 

Brittany,  map,  247,  D2, 

Brock,  Colonel,  366. 

Brown,  George,  appointed  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin  by  Henry  VIII 
and  opposed  by  Archbishop 
Cromer,  151. 

Bruce,  Edward,  lands  at  Larne  with 
army,  118;  defeats  De  Burgo  at 
Connor,  118;  crowned  king,  119; 
defeated  at  Athenry  by  William 
de  Burgo,  119  ;  joined  by  Robert 
Bruce,  king  of  Scotland,  119;  at- 
tempts to  reduce  Dublin  and  Lim- 
erick, 119;  killed  in  battle  of 
Faughart,  120. 

Bruce,  Robert,  king  of  Scotland, 
joins  his  brother  in  Ireland,  119; 
returns  to  Scotland,  119. 

Brugh,  25;  77iap,  29,  C2. 

Bulgaria,  map,  247,  J3. 

Bull,  War  of  the,  22-25. 

Burgh,  265. 

}5urgundy,  map,  247,  E2. 

Burke,  Yl^mwwA, picture ,  261  ;  cham- 
pion of  the  American  colonies, 
261  ;  career  of,  372,  373. 

Burke  of  Clanrickard,  defeated  by 
Kildare,  142. 


INDEX 


393 


Burke,  Thomas,  murdered  in  Phoe- 
nix Park,  328. 
Butler,  Sir  Edmund,  118. 
Butler,  Colonel  Richard,  351. 
Butler.  See  also  Ormond,  Dukes  of. 

Cadiz,  map,  247,  C4. 

Cahersiveen,  map,  169,  A5. 

Cairbre,  son  of  Cormac,  36,  killed  in 
battle  of  Gavra,  38. 

Cairpre,  the  "  Catheaded,"  27. 

Callan,  battle  of,  117  ;  map^  113,  B5. 

"Camisards,"  251. 

Cape  Clear  Island,  68  ;  map,  53,  C2. 

Carew,  Sir  George,  president  of 
Ulster,  devastates  Munster,  172; 
intercepts  O'Donnell  in  his  march 
to  meet  the  Spaniards,  173;  takes 
Dunboy  Castle,  176;  cruelty  of, 
176. 

Carleton,  Colonel  Guy,  career  of, 
365.  366. 

Carlingford,  derivation  of  name, 
71 ;  surrenders  to  Cromwell,  202  ; 
location,  map,  53,  A3. 

Carlingford  Lough,  69 ;  map,  53, 
A3;  map,  169,  E2. 

Carlow,  one  of  the  twelve  counties 
which  King  John  established, 
112  ;  outbreak  in,  during  the  Irish 
Rebellion,  278 ;  location,  map, 
180,  D5. 

Carrick,  Book  of,  135. 

Carrickbyrne  Hill,  rebel  encamp- 
ment on,  during  the  Irish  Rebel- 
lion, 27S;  location,  tnap,  169,  E4. 

Carrickfergus,  195,  203  ;  taken  by 
Schomborg,  219  ;  map,  180,  B6. 

Carrickfergus  Cz&iX^,  picture,  195. 

Carrigroe  Hill,  rebel  encampment 
on,  during  the  Irish  Rebellion, 
278;  location,  map,  169,  E4. 

Carrowmore,  circle  and  cromlech 
2X,  picture,  6;  7nap,  29,  B54. 

Cashel,  Rock  of,  89;  picture,  90; 
cross  of,  90 ;  seat  of  one  of  the 
four  archbishops,  92 ;  psalter  of, 
135;  location,  map,  113,  D4. 

Castlehaven,  175;  map,  169,  B5. 

Castledermott,  133;  map,  180,  D5. 

Castlereagh,  Lord,  chief  secretary 
of  Ireland,  284. 

Catholic  Association,  formation  of, 
298 ;  influence  of,  299. 


*'  Catholic  Committee,"  formation 
of,  258,  259. 

Catholic  Emancipation,  need  of,  re- 
cognized by  Patriots,  269;  at- 
tempts at,  275;  plan  to  obtain,  by 
giving  England  right  to  veto  ap- 
pointment of  Catholic  bishops, 
294;  O'Connell's  work  for,  297- 
300 ;  Act  of,  passed,  300. 

Catholics,  effect  of  the  Reformation 
upon,  150;  assailed  by  Henry 
VIII,  151  ;  priests  forced  out  of 
their  churches  by  Edward  VI, 
1 53 ;  oppressed  by  Elizabeth,  1 54; 
efforts  of  Hugh  O'Neill  to  secure 
religious  liberty  for,  165-177; 
worship  of,  restored  in  some 
places  by  James  I,  181  ;  effect  of 
revival  of  acts  of  Supremacy  and 
Uniformity  in  reign  of  James  I, 
on,  182 ;  drilled  and  armed  by 
Wentworth,  187 ;  cruelty  of,  in 
army  of  Phelim  O'Neill,  192  ;  ef- 
fect of  Confederation  of  Kil- 
kenny on,  193 ;  lack  of  union 
among,  194,  195;  persecution  of, 
in  Cromwell's  time,  206-208; 
under  disfavor  of  Charles  II,  208- 
211;  restored  to  favor  by  James 
II,  211;  Treaty  of  Limerick  re- 
stores religious  liberty  to,  235, 
236;  absolute  subjection  of,  240; 
effect  of  Penal  Laws  of  1695-1697 
on,  240,  241 ;  effect  of  Penal  Codes 
of  1703-1704  on,  243,  244;  effect 
of  Test  and  Schism  Acts  on,  244; 
effect  of  third  set  of  Penal  I^aws 
on,  244,  245;  petition  submitted 
to  George  III  by,  274;  Irish  Par- 
liament grants  franchise  to,  274; 
attempts  to  emancipate,  275,  276  ; 
their  attitude  toward  Union 
scheme,  286,  287 ;  admitted  to 
House  of  Commons,  301 ;  admit- 
ted to  all  military  and  civil  offices, 
301  ;  England's  attitude  toward, 
317;  oppose  Fenians,  318;  in 
America,  358,  359. 

Cauldron,  ancient  Irish  bronze, 
picttire,  16. 

Cavan,  Hugh  O'Neill  attacks  the 
English  at,  166. 

Cavan  County,  one  of  the  seven 
counties  into  which   Perrott    di- 


394 


INDEX 


vided  Ulster,  165;  location,  map, 
180,  B4. 

Cavendish,  Lord  Frederick,  mur- 
dered in  Phoenix  Park,  328. 

Chalons,  map,  247,  E2. 

Charlemont  Yon,pictiire,  191 ;  taken 
by  Phelim  O'Neill,  191 ;  location, 
map,  169,  E2. 

Charlemont,  James  Caulfield,  Earl 
of,  263,  270;  helps  form  the 
"  Whig  Club,"  273. 

Charles  I,  accession  of,  184;  du- 
plicity of,  185  ;  methods  of  obtain- 
ing money  from  Ireland,  185 ; 
attitude  and  false  overtures  of, 
194  ;  tried  and  beheaded,  200. 

Charles  II,  proclaimed  king,  201  ; 
restoration  of,  208;  passes  Acts  of 
Settlement  and  Explanation,  208, 
209;  divides  land,  favoring  Pro- 
testants, 209,  210;  reestablishes 
Anglican  Church,  210  ;  enforces 
act  of  Uniformity  against  the 
Presbyterians,  210. 

Chesterfield,  Earl  of,  appointed  lord 
lieutenant,  257  ;  administration  of, 

257-. 

Christianity,  introduced  into  Ireland 
by  St.  Patrick,  41-52 ;  progress 
under  St.  Columba,  55-61  ;  effect 
of  the  Norse  invasion  on,  78 ; 
under  Malachias,  91,  92. 

Church  Disestablishment,  question 
of,  first  agitated,  317  ;  parliament 
passes  act  disestablishing  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  church,  322  ;  pro- 
visions of  the  act,  322. 

Cistercians,  religious  order,  121. 

Citaux,  121 ;  map,  247,  F2. 

Claims,  court  of,  209. 

Clairvaux,  121  ;  map,  247,  E2. 

Clanrickard,  viap,  113,  C3. 

Clare,  one  of  the  counties  into  which 
Connaught  was  divided  in  1565, 
159  ;  map,  180,  D3. 

Clarence,  Lionel,  Duke  of,  intro- 
duces statute  of  Kilkenny,  12S. 

Clifford,  Sir  Conyers,  defeated  and 
killed  by  O'Donnell  in  the  battle 
of  "The  Yellow  Pass,"  171. 

Clonard,  57  ;  map,  53,  B3. 

Clondalkin,  raided  by  Norsemen, 
69  ;  round  tower  of,  70 ;  location, 
map,  53,  B3. 


Clonmacnoise,  Saint  Kieran  founds 
religious  school  at,  56;  location, 

map,  53,  B3. 

Clonmel,  defence  of,  204;  map,  169, 
D4. 

Clontarf,  battle  of,  7nap,  53,  B3. 

Clyde  River,  map,  247,  D. 

Coercion  Act,  293. 

Coleraine,  one  of  the  seven  counties 
into  which  Perrott  divided  Ulster, 
165. 

Cologne,  map,  247,  Fi. 

Columbanus,  missionary  on  the  con- 
tinent, 80  ;  founds  Bobbio,  81. 

Concobar,  becomes  chief  of  Emain, 
20;  captures  Deirdre,  21 ;  defeats 
hosts  of  Medb  at  battle  of  Gairec, 
24. 

Confession  of  St.  Patrick,  42-46. 

Cong,  Cross  of,  picture,  93  ;  loca- 
tion, map,  113,  B3. 

Conn,  son  of  Fedlimid,  29. 

Connaught,  one  of  the  four  early 
kingdoms,  28  ;  condition  of,  in  the 
13th  century,  116;  divided  into 
six  counties  in  1 565, 1 59;  O'Neill's 
insurrection  in,  170;  confiscation 
by  Wentworth  in,  186;  location, 
map,  29,  B2;  7nap,  180,  C2,  C3. 

Connemara,  Norsemen  slaughter 
people  of,  67. 

Connor,  De  Burgo  defeated  by 
Bruce  at,  118;  location,  map,  113, 
E2.  '       /->      J. 

Conor,  king  of  Connaught,  106; 
defeats  Normans,  106. 

Constance,  lake  of,  map,  247,  F2. 

Cooldrevin,  battle  of,  58 ;  map,  53, 
A2. 

Coote,  Sir  Charles,  betrays  Cole- 
raine, 203;  parliamentarian  leader, 
204;  sent  by  Ireton  to  besiege 
Athlone,  204;  takes  Athlone,  205; 
takes  Galway,  206. 

Cork,  surrenders  to  Cromwell,  203; 
surrenders  to  WiUiam,  228 ;  loca- 
tion, map,  180,  P2  3. 

Cork  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  which  King  John  estab- 
lished,   112;    location,  map,  180, 

E3- 
Cormac,  king,  personal  appearance, 
31  ;  his  reign  and  abdication,  32; 
his  views  on  the  duties  of  a  king, 


INDEX 


395 


and  of  a  royal  host ;  needs  of  the 
country,  36-38. 

Cormac's  Chapel,  89. 

Cormac's  Cxos\tx,  picture,  91. 

Cornwallis,  Marquis  of,  made  lord 
lieutenant,  281;  suppresses  rebel- 
lion in  Mayo  in  1798,  281 ;  his  sys- 
tem of  bribery,  284;  presents  Union 
scheme  to  Irish  parliament,  285; 
efforts  of,  to  secure  adherents  to 
the  Union,  286;  quotation  from 
letter  of,  287  ;  further  efforts  to 
bribe  patriots,  289. 

Corrib,  Lake,  2 ;  map,  180,  C2. 

Costume  of  the  native  Irish  of  the 
fifteenth  c^wtwry,  picture,  136. 

Court  Party,  253.' 

Credran,  battle  of,  116;  map,  113, 
C2. 

Cremona,  map,  247,  G2. 

Crimes  Act,  272. 

Croft,  Sir  James,  lord  lieutenant, 
attacks  Shane's  allies,  the  Mac- 
Donnells,  155. 

Cromer,  Archbishop,  opposes 
George  Brown,  Archbishop  of 
Dublin,  151. 

Cromlechs,  6  ;  history  of,  7,  8. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  England  under 
the  power  of,  200;  lands  at  Dub- 
lin, 202 ;  issues  two  proclama- 
tions, 202 ;  captures  Drogheda, 
202;  takes  Wexford,  203;  marches 
southwest  to  Youghal,  203;  takes 
Clonmel,  204;  devastates  Mun- 
ster,  203;  leaves  Ireland  in  care 
of  Ireton  and  returns  to  England, 
204;  death  of,  208. 

Cromwell,  Richard,  208. 

Crook,  Cape,  map,  113,  E4. 

Cruacan,  capital  of  Connaught,  24; 
map,  53,  B2. 

Cuculaind,  warrior  of  Emain,  22  ; 
defeats  Ferdiad,  24  ;  defeats  hosts 
of  Medb  at  battle  of  Gairec,  24; 
death  of,  25. 

Cullen,  Dr.,  leader  of  Catholic 
party,  opposes  Fenians,  318. 

Culmore,  Fort,  172;  map,  169,  Di. 

Curran,  270;  joins  others  to  form 
"  Whig  Club,"  273. 

Curry,  Dr.,  258. 

Dagda's  Harp,  legend  of,  3,  4. 


Dalriada,  foundation  of,  30;  loca- 
tion, map,  29,  Di,  Ci  ;  map,  113, 
Ei. 

Danes,  conflict  over  Dublin,  73 ; 
form  an  alliance  with  Brian  Boru, 
74;  defeated  at  Clontarf,  76; 
plundered  and  slaughtered  by 
Strongbow,  98.  See  also  Norse- 
men. 

Danish  ho^it,  picture,  67. 

Danish  weapons  of  tenth  century, 
picture,  yT,. 

Darcy,  John,  345. 

Dati,  nephew  of  Niall,  king  for 
twenty-three  years,  40. 

Davitt,  Michael,  organizes  the  Land 
League,  325. 

De  Bermingham,  defeats  Bruce  at 
battle  of  Faughart,  120;  mur- 
dered at  Bragganstown,  125. 

De  Burgo,  appointed  lord  lieuten- 
ant, 103;  his  government,  103, 
104. 

De  Burgo,  Dun  Earl  of  Ulster, 
murder  of,  125  ;  quarrels  over  es- 
tate of,  126. 

De  Burgo,  Richard,  the  "  red  earl," 
118;  defeated  by  Bruce  at  Con- 
nor, 118, 

De  Burgo,  William,  defeats  Bruce 
at  Athenry,  119. 

De  Clare,  Richard,  "  Strongbow," 
96  ;  lands  at  Waterford,  98  ;  takes 
Wexford,  98 ;  slaughters  the 
Danes  at  Dublin,  98  ;  besieged  at 
Dublin,  99  ;  made  lord  lieuten- 
ant of  Ireland  by  Henry  II,  100- 
102;  defeated  at  Thurles,  103; 
death  of,  103. 

De  Cogan,  Miles,  Norman  noble 
appointed  to  assist  De  Burgo, 
104. 

De  Courcy,  John,  100;  Norman 
noble  appointed  to  assist  De 
Burgo,  104;  expedition  of,  104; 
captures  and  plunders  Downpat- 
rick,  104  ;  made  lord  lieutenant, 
105;  defeated  twice  in  Con- 
naught,  106;  proclaimed  a  traitor, 
107. 

De  Dananns,  their  coming  to  Ire- 
land, I  ;  conquer  the  Firbolgs  at 
Southern  Mag  Tured,  3  ;  defeat 
the  Fomorians  at  Northern  Mag 


396 


INDEX 


Tured,  3  ;  introduce  music  into 
Ireland,  4  ;  civilization  of,  5  ;  pur- 
sued north  by  the  Milesians  and 
defeated  at  Tailten,  10. 

Dee  River,  23. 

"  Defenders,"  Catholic  secret  so- 
ciety, 276. 

Deirdre,  escapes  to  Scotland,  21  ; 
captured  by  Concobar,  21. 

De  I.acy,  Hugh,  receives  a  grant  of 
Meath,  100;  his  character,  assas- 
sinated, 106. 

De  Lacy,  Hugh  (the  younger),  his 
jealousy  of  De  Courcy,  106,  107  ; 
in  the  war  of  Kildare,  1 1 5. 

Del  Aguila,  General  Don  Juan, 
lands  at  Kinsale  with  Spanish 
army  to  help  O'Neill,  173;  be- 
sieged in  Kinsale  by  Mountjoy, 
174;  surrenders  Kinsale,  returns 
to  Spain,  and  is  put  to  death,  174. 

De  Mandeville,  Richard,  murders 
De  Burgo,  Dun  Earl  of  Ulster, 
125. 

Denmark,  map,  247,  F. 

Derg,  Lough,  map,  180,  D3. 

Derry,  fort  built  at,  172;  proclaims 
allegiance  to  William  and  Mary, 
214;  reception  of  James  II  at, 
215;  siege  of,  215-218  ;  location, 
map,  169,  Di. 

Desmond,  67  ;  map,  113,  B2,  C2. 

Desmond,  Earl  of,  in  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII,  enters  into  corre- 
spondence with  Francis  I  of 
France,  145. 

Desmond,  great  Earl  of,  in  time  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  160 ;  taken  to 
London  and  kept  in  the  Tower 
for  six  years,  160  ;  liberated,  160  ; 
joins  Geraldine  rebellion,  161  ; 
killed,  162, 

Desmond,  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  first 
Earl  of,  called  by  the  lord  lieu- 
tenant to  aid  the  English  against 
the  Irish  chiefs,  126. 

Desmond,  Thomas  Fitzgerald, 
eighth  Earl  of,  appointed  lord 
lieutenant,  135;  founds  college  of 
Youghal,  135;  execution  of,  136. 

Devenish  Island,  religious  settle- 
ment under  Molaise  at,  56  ;  ruins 
of,  picture,  57  ;  location,  map,  53, 
A3- 


Diarmaid,  high  king,  63. 

Dillon,  Arthur,  340. 

Dillon,  John  Blake,  founds  "  The 
Nation,"  308. 

Dingle  Bay,  map,  180,  Di. 

"  Discoverers,"  184. 

Disestablishment.  See  Church  Dis- 
establishment. 

Dominicans,  religious  order  founded 
by  St.  Dominick,  121. 

Domnall,  high  king,  63. 

Domnall,  son  of  Aed,  defeats  Con- 
gall  at  battle  of  Moira,  64. 

Donaghpatrick,  ancient  church  at, 
55 ;  location,  niap,  53,  B3. 

Donegal,  map,   53,  A2;   map,  180, 

B3- 

Donegal  Bay,  map,  180,  B3. 

Donegal  County,  one  of  the  seven 
counties  into  which  Perrott  di- 
vided Ulster,  165  ;  location,  map, 
113,  C2  ;  map,  180,  B4. 

Donough,  son  of  Brian  Boru,  88. 

Down,  one  of  the  counties  in  Ul- 
ster, 165  ;  surrendered  by  George 
Munro  to  Cromwell,  203  ;  loca- 
tion, map,  180,  B6. 

Downpatrick,  first  church  estab- 
lished at,  48  ;  description  of  fort 
at,  68 ;  attacked  by  Norsemen, 
68  ;  battle  of,  117  ;  location,  map, 
53,  A4;  map,  113,  F2. 

"  Drapier  Letters."  256. 

Drogheda,  parliament  of,  140;  cap- 
tured by  Cromwell,  202 ;  battle 
of  the  Boyne  near,  220  ;  location, 
map,  169,  E3;  map,  180,  C5. 

Druim-Ceatt,  synod  of,  59;  64. 

Druim-Ceatt,  map,  53,  A3. 

Drumcliff,  St.  Columba  founds  re- 
ligious school   at,   60 ;    map,   53, 

A2. 

Drumflugh,  battle  of,  168;  map, 
169,  E2. 

Dublin  Bay,  map,  180,  C5. 

Dublin,  captured  by  Norsemen,  70; 
Norsemen  defeated  at,  70  ;  Norse- 
men defeated  by  Malachi,  the 
Great,  at,  73 ;  seat  of  one  of  the 
four  archbishops,  92 ;  captured 
by  Strongbow,  98;  Henry  IPs 
army  lands  at,  99;  becomes  seat 
of  the  English  government,  126; 
besieged   by  "  Silken    Thomas," 


INDEX 


397 


146;  surrendered  into  the  hands 
of  the  EngHsh  parliamentarians, 
198 ;  location,  7nap,  53,  B3 ;  map, 
113,  E3  ;  map,  169,  E3. 

Dublin  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John 
divided  Ireland,  112  ;  outbreak  of, 
in  the  Irish  Rebellion,  278  ;  loca- 
tion, map,  I  So,  C5. 

Dublin  Council,  nominates  Garrett 
Fitzgerald  as  lord  lieutenant,  143  ; 
sends  Bagenal  to  relieve  Port- 
more,  16S;  blame  of  O'Neill 
Rebellion  laid  on,  by  Elizabeth, 
170. 

Dublin  Government,  favors  English 
people  in  Ireland,  125;  Ulster 
and  Connaught  rebel  against, 
126;  condition  of,  in  first  part  of 
the  14th  centurv,  126;  provisions 
of  Statute  of  Kilkenny,  128,  129; 
condition  of,  under  Henry  II,  136; 
arbitrary  character  of,  under 
Queen  Elizabeth,  155. 

Dufferin  and  Ava,  Marquis  of,  368. 

Duffy,  Charles  Gavan,  founds  "  The 
Nation,"  308  ;  368. 

Dunanore,  Fort,  map,  180,  Di. 

Dunboy,  siege  oi, pichire,  175;  lo- 
cation, map,  169,  B5. 

Dunboy  Castle,  175;  taken  by 
Carew,  176. 

Dundalk,  120;  surrenders  to  Crom- 
well, 203  ;  location,  ?Nap,  113,  E2. 

Dundrum  Bay,  map,  F2. 

Dundrum  Castle,  picture,  104; 
building  of,  105. 

Dungannon,  fort,  taken  by  Phelim 
O'Neill,  191  ;  Volunteer  Con- 
vention at,  265,  266 ;  location, 
map,  169,  E2;  map,  180,  B5. 

Dunnalong,  fort,  172  ;  niap,  169,  D2. 

Durrow,  book  of,  86. 

Durrow,  St.  Columba  founds  mon- 
astery at,  58  ;  location,  map,  53, 
B3. 

Edward  VI,  inaugurates  system  of 
planting  English  Protestant  col- 
onies in  Ireland,  153. 

Elizabeth,  queen,  enforces  acts  of 
Uniformity  and  Supremacy,  154; 
calls  Shane  O'Neill  to  England, 
and  receives  him    at   court,  157; 


recognizes  Shane  as  head  of  the 
O'Neills,  158;  enforcement  of 
Protestant  creed  results  in  second 
Geraldine  League  and  Geraldine 
Rebellion,  159-162;  appoints  Sir 
John  Perrott  lord  lieutenant,  164  ; 
sends  Essex  with  a  large  army  to 
Ireland  to  march  against  O'Neill, 
171  ;  sends  reinforcements  to 
Essex,  171  ;  death  of,  177. 
Emain,  building   of,   20;   map,  29, 

C54. 

Embargo  Act,  261. 

Emmet,  ];vobert,  291. 

Emly,  map,  169,  C4. 

Encumbered  Estates  Court  Act, 
314. 

English  Parliament,  decides  Ire- 
land must  be  conquered,  and 
appoints  Cromwell  lord  lieu- 
tenant, 202 ;  appoints  Fleetwood 
lord  lieutenant,  206;  passes  act 
dislodging  Irish  land  owners  in 
Ulster,  Leinster,  and  Munster, 
206 ;  passes  laws  for  Ireland, 
242  ;  passes  Penal  Codes  of  1703 
-1704,  and  Test  and  Schism  Acts, 
244;  passes  severe  trade  laws, 
246;  prohibits  exportation,  247  ; 
passes  laws  ruining  manufactures, 
249  ;  attacked  in  Molyneux  book, 
254;  passes  Octennial  Act,  259, 
260;  passes  Embargo  Act,  261  ; 
repeals  some  of  the  Penal  Laws 
and  Test  and  Embargo  Acts,  262; 
removes  trade  restrictions,  263, 
264;  passes  the  Sixth  of  George 
I,  255;  passes  Act  of  Repeal, 
which  repealed  Poynings'  Law 
and  the  Sixth  of  George  I,  267 ; 
passes  Act  of  Renunciation,  267  ; 
rejects  Orde's  bill,  271 ;  passes 
Pitt's  trade  bill,  271  ;  Pitt's  Union 
scheme  brought  before,  and  op- 
posed by  Sheridan  and  Foster, 
286;  English  soldiers  sent  to  Ire- 
land by,  289 ;  passes  Act  of  Union, 
uniting  English  and  Irish  parlia- 
ments, the  Irish  Insurrection  Act, 
Habeas  Corpus  Suspension  Act, 
Martial  Continuation  Act,  and 
Coercion  Acts,  293  ;  raises  fran- 
chise in  Ireland,  301  ;  passes 
Poor     Law    Act,    305 ;    repeals 


398 


INDEX 


Corn  Laws  and  opens  Ireland  to 
free  trade,  313;  passes  new  Co- 
ercion Act,  316;  realizes  Irish 
grievances  must  be  redressed, 
321,  322  ;  passes  act  for  the  Dis- 
establishment of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  Ireland, 
322  ;  passes  Land  Bill  and  estab- 
lishes Land  Court  in  Ireland, 
327  ;  passes  first  Land  Purchase 
Act,  329 ;  passes  Second  Land 
Purchase  Bill,  330  ;  passes  Third 
Land  Purchase  Bill,  332  ;  passes 
Local  Government  J^ct,  233  > 
passes  Wyndham's  Land  Pur- 
,  chase  Act,  334,  335. 

Enniscorthy,  279;  map,  169,  E4. 

Enniskillen,  battle  of,  219;  ma/>,  53, 
A3  ;  map,  169,  U2. 

Eocaid,  son  of  Muireadac,  39. 

Eocaid,  last  king  of  the  Firbolgs,  2. 

Erne,  Lough,  219;  map,  53,  A3; 
map,  180,  B4. 

Essex,  Robert  Devereux,  Earl  of, 
sent  to  Ireland  with  a  large  army 
to  march  against  O'Neill,  171  ; 
attacks  Munster  Geraldines,  but 
is  unsuccessful,  171  ;  obliged  to 
ask  Queen  for  new  army,  171  ;  re- 
turns to  England,  and  is  exe- 
cuted, 171. 

Europe  with  places  mentioned  in 
connection  with  Irish  History, 
map,  247. 

Eustace,  James,  Viscount  Baltin- 
glass,  161  ;  defeats  Lord  Grey, 
162. 

Explanation,  Act  of,  209. 

Famine,  the  great,  1845-47,  310. 
Faughart,  battle  of,  120;  map,  113, 

E2. 

Fenians,  organizations  of,  318;  op- 
posed by  Catholic  Church,  318  ; 
effect  of  death  of  McManus  on, 

318,  319;    tendency    toward    re- 
bellion of,  319 ;  arrest  of  leaders, 

319,  320;    end  of    the  rebellion, 
320. 

Ferdiad,  killed  by  Cuculaind,  24. 

Fergus,  displaced  by  Concobar,  20  ; 
sent  to  capture  Deirdre,  21  ;  re- 
volt of,  22. 

Ferguson,  Sir  Samuel,  375. 


Fermanagh,  one  of  the  seven  coun- 
ties into  which  Perrott  divided 
Ulster,  165;  map,  180,  B4. 

Ferns,  278  ;  map,  169,  E4. 

Fiaca,  king  for  thirty  years,  39. 

"  Fifty-one  Graces,"  185;  rendered 
ineffective  by  Wentworth,  186. 

Find,  leader  of  Cormac's  Army,  32  ; 
as  a  poet,  34. 

Finnacta,  tries  to  levy  Boruma  tri- 
bute, 64. 

Firbolgs,  defeated  by  the  De  Da- 
nanns  at  Southern  Mag  Tured,  3. 

Fitzgerald,  Duke  of  Leinster,  263. 

Fitzgerald,  Lord  Edward,  prime 
mover  in  Irish  Rebellion,  278. 

Fitzgerald,  Garrett.  See  Kildare, 
eighth  and  ninth  Earls  of. 

Fitzgerald,  James,  brother  of  the 
Earl  of  Desmond,  joins  FitzMau- 
rice  against  the  English,  161 ;  exe- 
cuted, 161. 

Fitzgerald,  James  FitzMaurice,  the 
leader  of  the  Geraldine  rebellion 
against  English  authorities,  [60; 
forced  to  give  up  struggle,  160; 
flees  to  France  and  Spain,  160:  re- 
turns six  years  later  with  Spanish 
soldiers,  i6r  ;  killed,  161. 

Fizgerald,  John,  brother  of  the  Earl 
of  Desmond,  imprisoned  in  the 
Tower  six  years,  160;  liberated, 
160;  joins  FitzMaurice  and  de- 
feats English,  161  ;  killed,  161. 

Fitzgerald,  Maurice.  See  Desmond, 
first  Earl  of. 

Fitzgerald,  Maurice,  of  Wales,  97. 

Fitzgerald,  Maurice,  in  the  "  War 
of  Kildare,"  115  ;  invades  Ulster, 
116. 

Fitzgerald,  Prime  Sergeant,  286. 

Fitzgerald,  Raymond,  commander 
of  Strongbow's  army,  102  ;  raids 
Ireland,  plundering  Leinster,  102  ; 
returns  to  Wales,  103 ;  comes 
again  and  takes  Limerick,  103. 

Fitzgerald,  Thomas.  See  Desmond, 
eighth  Earl  of. 

Fitzgerald,  Thomas.  See  Kildare, 
tenth  Earl  of. 

Fitzgerald,  Vesey,  accepts  office  of 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
300  ;  his  reelection  to  Parliament 
opposed  by  O'Connell,  300. 


INDEX 


399 


Fitzgibbon,  265  ;  opposes  admission 
of  Catholics  to  parliament,  275. 

Fitzgibbon,  Lieutenant,  366. 

Fitzstephen,  Robert,  97  ;  attacks 
Wexford,  97  ;  appointed  to  assist 
De  Burgo,   [04. 

Fitzwilliam,  Earl,  comes  to  Ireland 
as  lord  lieutenant,  275;  resigns, 
276. 

Fleetwood,  Charles,  made  lord  lieu- 
tenant, 206;  organizes  high  court 
of  justice,  206. 

Flood,  Henry,  picticrey  259;  helps 
in  the  struggle  for  free  trade,  263  ; 
quarrel  with  Grattan,  270 ;  pre- 
sents reform  bill  to  parliament 
and  is  defeated,  270 ;  opposes 
Pitt's  bill  to  regulate  trade,  272. 

Fomorians,  defeated  by  the  De 
Dananns  at  Northern  Mag  Tu- 
red,  3. 

Fontaines,  80 ;  map,  247,  F2. 

Fontenoy,  341  ;  map,  247,  Ei. 

"  Forty-Seven,  The  Black,"  310. 

Foster,  John,  speaker  of  the  Irish 
House,  286  ;  opposes  Pitt  in  Eng- 
lish House  of  Commons,  286. 

Fox,  his  feeling  about  the  Union, 
291. 

Foyle,  Lough,  landing  of  the  De 
Dananns  at,  i  ;  English  fort  at, 
171;  location,  map,  i;  map,  180, 
A4. 

Foyle  River,  218;  map,  180,  B4. 

France,  Irish  in,  340-344. 

Franciscans,  religious  order  founded 
by  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  121. 

Franconia,  77iap,  247,  Fi. 

"  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick, 
The,"  society  in  America,  352, 
353- 

Gaelic,  revival  of,  378,  379. 

Gaelic  Invasion,   10. 

Gairec,  battle  of,  24. 

Galicia,  9 ;  map,  247,  I2. 

Gallowglasses,  157,  note. 

Gallus,  lays  foundation  of  the  mon- 
astery of  St.  Gall,  80. 

Galtee  Mts.,  72;  7nap,  53,  B2. 

Galway,  besieged  and  captured  by 
Sir  Charles  Coote,  206;  surrend- 
ers to  Ginkel,  233  ;  location,  map, 
113,  C3  ;  map,  169,  B3. 


Galway  Bay,  map,  180,  C2. 

Galway  County,  one  of  the  coun- 
ties into  which  Connaught  was 
divided  in  1565,  159;  map,  180, 
C2. 

Gardiner,  Luke  (afterwards  Lord 
Mountjoy),  presents  bill  to  Irish 
parliament  for  repeal  of  penal 
laws  against  Catholics,  262;  sup- 
ports Grattan  in  his  efforts  to 
secure  free  trade,  263  ;  introduces 
measures  in  parliament  for  further 
repeal  of  the  penal  laws,  266. 

Gartan,  57  ;  map,  53  A3. 

Gavra,  battle  of,  38;  map,  29,  C2. 

Genealogical  Tables,  33,  40. 

Genoa,  81  ;  map,  247,  F3. 

George  I,  Act  of  the  Sixth  of,  255; 
grants  patent  for  coining  money 
to  Duchess  of  Kendal,  255,  256. 

George  II,  244. 

George  HI,  262  ;  "  Back  Lane  Par- 
liament "  submits  petition  for  re- 
peal of  the  penal  laws  to,  274. 

George  IV,  signs  Catholic  Emanci- 
pation bill,  300. 

Geraldine  League,  first,  148 ;  at- 
tacked by  Lord  Grey,  152. 

Geraldine  League,  second,  cause, 
159,  160;  rebellion  resulting  from, 
160-162. 

Gibraltar,  8 ;  7nap,  247,  C4. 

Ginkel,  General,  left  in  command 
of  army  by  William,  228  ;  Kinsale 
and  Cork  surrender  to,  228 ;  tries 
to  check  plundering  of  the  "  Rap- 
parees,"  229  ;  takes  Athlone,  230- 
232 ;  efforts  of,  to  end  the  war, 
232;  prepares  to  advance  on  Gal- 
way, 232 ;  defeats  the  Irish  at 
Aughrim,  232,  233  ;  Galway  and 
Sligo  surrender  to,  233  ;  besieges 
Limerick,  234 ;  made  Earl  of 
Athlone  by  William,  236. 

Giraldus  Cambrensis,  his  history, 
106. 

Gladstone,  William  Ewart,  his  feel- 
ing about  the  Union,  291  ;  realizes 
that  England  must  redress  Irish 
grievances,  321,  322  ;  his  efforts 
cause  parliament  to  pass  Act  for 
the  Disestablishment  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  in  Ire- 
land, 322  ;  picture,  327  ;  his  Land 


400 


INDEX 


Bill,  327,  328  ;  his  agreement  with 
Parnell,  328  ;  tries  to  get  Home 
Rule  13111  passed,  330 ;  efforts 
to  get  second  Home  Rule  Bill 
passed  332 ;  retires  from  public 
life,  332. 

Glendalough,  St.  Kevin  establishes 
church  and  school  at,  56 ;  loca- 
tion, map,  53,  B3. 

Glen  Druid,  7  ;  7nap,  29,  C2, 

Gloucester,  Earl  of,  conference  of, 
with  Art  MacMurrogh,  132; //V- 
ture,  133. 

Goldsmith,  Oliver,  life  and  works 
of,  370-372  ;  fictiire,  371. 

Gorey,  Ijattle  fought  at,  279;  map, 
169,  E4. 

Gough,  General  Sir  Hugh,  career 
of,  363. 

Grace,  Richard,  345. 

Grattan,  Henry,  picture,  258  ;  cham- 
pion of  the  Irish  cause,  259 ; 
his  amendment  to  the  Address 
to  the  king,  263;  his  resolu- 
tions favoring  legislative  inde- 
pendence, 264 ;  his  quarrel  with 
Flood,  270;  opposes  Pitt's  bill 
to  regulate  trade,  272;  presents 
bill  for  admission  of  Catholics 
to  parliament,  275  ;  resigns 
from  parliament,  277  ;  death  of, 
298. 

Grave,  345  ;  map,  247,  Fi. 

Great  Civil  Assembly  of  1167,  94. 

Greece,  345;  inap,  247,  I4. 

Grey,  Lord,  marches  against  "  Silk- 
en Thomas,"  148 ;  lord  lieuten- 
ant, 152. 

Grey,  Lord,  of  Wilton,  defeated  by 
James  Eustace,  162;  bombards 
Fort  Dunanore  and  massacres 
garrison,  162;  recalled  to  Eng- 
land, 162. 

Gullian,  Slieve,  map,  113,  E2. 

Habeas  Corpus  Act,  293. 

Hamilton,  tries  to  capture  fort  on 
Windmill  Hill,  216,  217  ;  besieges 
Derry,  217-218. 

Hand,  General  Edward,  351. 

Hasting,  Sir  Francis  Rawdon,  ca- 
reer of,  362. 

"Hearts  of  Oak,"  251. 

"  Hearts  of  Steel,"  251. 


Henry  II,  lands  at  Dublin  with  large 
army  of  Normans,  99 ;  divides 
Ireland  up  among  the  Normans, 
100 ;  appoints  Strongbow  lord 
lieutenant,  102 ;  sends  Prince 
John  to  Ireland,  105. 

Henry  III,  115. 

Henry  V,  condition  of  Ireland 
under,  134. 

Henry  VI,  condition  of  Ireland 
under,  134. 

Henry  VIII,  accession  of,  142; 
writes  book  attacking  Martin  Lu- 
ther's views,  150  ;  excommunica- 
tion of,  151  ;  declares  himself 
supreme  head  of  the  church  in 
Ireland,  151  ;  becomes  "King  of 
Ireland "  instead  of  **  Lord  of 
Ireland,"  152  ;  divides  Meath  into 
two  coun"'  3,  152. 

Hogan,  John  Sheridan,  367. 

Holycross  hh\i&y,  picture,  121. 

Home  Rule,  Lord  Spencer  and 
Gladstone  convinced  of  necessity 
of,  328  ;  discussed  by  Lord  Salis- 
bury, 329;  Gladstone  attempts  to 
secure,  330;  failure  of  second  bill 
for,  332 ;  effect  of  Local  Govern- 
ment Act  on,  333. 

Howth,  plundered  by  Norsemen, 
67  ;  location,  map,  53,  B3 ;  map^ 
113,  E3. 

Humbert,  General,  lands  at  Killala 
with  French  army,  281. 

Hutchinson,  263,  265. 

Hyde,  Douglas,  379. 

Inishowen,  map,  113,  Di. 

Innismurray  island,  religious  settle- 
ment on,  56;  map,  53,  A2. 

Insurrection,  Act  of,  293. 

"Invincibles,"  secret  society,  328. 

lona,  raided  by  Norsemen,  67. 

lona  Island,  58  ;  viap,  247  C. 

Ireland,  in  prehistoric  times,  ii- 
13  ;  life  of  early  races  in,  13  ; 
political  growth  of,  27-33  5  social 
life  in  third  century,  34-39;  Chris- 
tianity introduced  by  St.  Patrick 
into,  41-46 ;  early  schools  and 
churches  in,  55-63;  political 
growth  during  period  of  saints 
and  scholars,  63-65  ;  raids  of  the 
Norsemen  in,   66-77 ;    condition 


INDEX 


401 


of,  at  end  of  Norse  Invasion,  78- 
80  ;  students  in,  83  ;  political  di- 
visions in  the  nth  century,  87; 
struggle  for  the  High  Kingship, 
88,  92  ;  the  first  synod  in,  91  ;  arch- 
bishoprics of,  in  the  12th  century, 
92  ;  first  great  national  assembly 
in,  94;  coming  of  the  Normans, 
96-107  ;  introduction  of  Norman 
law,  112-115;  condition  of,  in 
the  13th  century,  11 5-1 17;  Bruce's 
invasion  of,  1 18-120;  beginning 
of  English  rule  in,  124-138;  rise 
and  fall  of  the  Geraldinesin,  139- 
147;  reformation,  150-162;  re- 
bellion of,  under  Elizabeth,  164- 
177  ;  plantation  system  in,  178- 
188  ;  Irish  rebellion,  189-200  ;  ef- 
fect of  Cromwell's  government 
and  the  restoration  on,  201-212; 
Jacobite  wars  in,  213-237  ;  effect 
of  Penal  Laws  on,  237-250  ;  the 
struggle  for  legislative  independ- 
ence, 253-268;  rebellion  in,  ended, 
269-281  ;  effect  of  Act  of  Union 
on,  290,  291  ;  financial  condition 
of,  early  in  the  19th  century,  296, 
297 ;  beginning  of  a  free  press 
in,  309;  decrease  in  population 
due  to  emigration,  310,  311  ;  dis- 
establishment of  Protestant  Epis- 


copal Church  in. 


effect  of 


efforts  to  secure  Home  Rule  for, 
3-S-333. 

Ireland,  Archbishop,  his  admirable 
plan  of  settlements,  357,  358. 

Ireland,  maps  of,  pagan,  29 ;  with 
places  mentioned  from  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity  to  iioo, 
53 ;  with  some  of  the  ancient 
earldoms  and  dukedoms,  113; 
places  mentioned  during  the  wars 
after  1582,  169;  political  divisions 
of,  1 600-1 900;  map,  180. 

Ireton,  Cromwell's  son-in-law,  left 
in  charge  of  Ireland,  204 ;  takes 
Limerick,  204,  205 ;  death  of, 
205. 

Irish  Books,  85. 

Irish  Elk,  skeleton  oi,  picture,  12. 

Irish  Harp, //r/«r^,  75. 

Irish  in  America,  before  the  Revo- 
lution, 348;  in  the  Revolutionary 


War,  350-352  ;  "  The  Society  of 
Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick," 
352,  353  ;  emigration  before  and 
after  tlie  famine,  353,  354 ;  in  the 
Civil  War,  354,  355 ;  Fenian 
movement,  355,  357  ;  Archbishop 
Ireland's  settlements,  357,  358; 
Catholic  church,  358. 

Irish  in  the  British  Empire,  in  India, 
360-365 ;  in  Canada,  365-368 ; 
in  Australia,  368,  369. 

Irish  knights  and  their  attendants 
in  iz^2\, picttire,  147. 

Irish  Literary  Revival,  370-379. 

Irish  on  the  Continent,  troops  in 
European  armies,  339  ;  in  France, 
340-344 ;  in  Spain  and  Austria, 
334,.  335 ;  in  Portugal,  345  ;  other 
distinguished  Irishmen,  346,  347. 

Irish  Parliament,  foundation  of, 
laid  by  Henry  II,  136;  effect  of 
Poynings'  Law  on,  139-141  ; 
passes  Act  of  Supremacy  in  Ire- 
land, 151 ;  changes  Plenry  VIII's 
title  to  "King  of  Ireland,"  152; 
native  chiefs  first  invited  to,  152; 
renews  Act  of  Supremacy  in  1558, 
154;  revives  Acts  of  Supremacy 
and  Uniformity  in  reign  of  James 
I,  183;  extends  uniform  protection 
to  English  and  Irish  alike,  183, 
184 ;  passes  Acts  of  Settlement 
and  Explanation,  and  restricts 
cattle  trade,  208,  209;  assembled 
at  Dublin  by  James  II,  215;  de- 
clares Catholic  doctrine  false  and 
itself  independent  of  the  English 
parliament,  237 ;  passes  Penal 
Laws,  240,  241  ;  petitions  Ormond 
to  extend  Penal  Code,  243;  passes 
third  set  of  Penal  I>aws,  244,  245; 
destroys  wool  trade,  248 ;  its 
condition  in  the  i8th  century,  253, 
254;  eftect  of  Annesley  Case  on, 
254-255  ;  passes  Mutiny  Bill,  264; 
repeals  some  of  the  Penal  Laws, 
266,  267  ;  effect  of  Act  of  Re- 
peal on,  267 ;  rejects  Flood's  re- 
form bill,  270  ;  practically  defeats 
Pitt's  bill,  272  ;  grants  franchise 
to  Catholic  land-owners,  274; 
passes  Convention  and  Gunpow- 
der Acts,  275  ;  passes  Insurrection 
Act  and  suspends  Habeas  Corpus 


402 


INDEX 


Act,  276,  277 ;  Pitt's  sclieme  to 
abolish,  283  ;  Cornwallis  presents 
Union  scheme  to,  285;  defeats 
Union  scheme,286  ;  meets  for  the 
last  time  and  passes  the  Union 
Bill,  289,  290. 

Irish  Parliament  House,  Dublin, 
picture,  289. 

"  Irish  People,"  newspaper  pub- 
lished in  Dublin,  319. 

Irish  Sea,  Jtiap,  i  ;  map,  180,  C6. 

Irish  Soldier  of  \  ^2,  picture,  156. 

Irish  teachers,  81,  82. 

Irvine,  General  William,  commands 
regiment  in  Pennsylvania  and 
later  enters  Congress,  351. 

Italy,  niap,  247,  G3. 

Jacobites,  who  they  were,  213;  at- 
tack Derry,  216. 

James  I,  ascends  English  throne, 
178;  pictui-e  of,  17S  ;  Acts  of  Su- 
premacy and  Uniformity  revived 
in  reign  of,  181,  182  ;  confiscates 
and  divides  greater  part  of  Ulster 
up  among  "  undertakers  "  "  servi- 
tors "  and  "  old  natives,"  182 ; 
extends  English  law  to  Ireland, 
183;  confiscates  land  through  the 
law  courts,  184;  death  of,  184. 

James  II,  restores  Catholicism,  211; 
appoints   Talbot  lord  lieutenant, 

211  ;  attempts  to  repeal  Act  of 
Settlement,  211 ;  flees  to  France, 

212  ;  lands  at  Kinsale  with  French 
force,  215;  hostile  reception  of, 
at  Derry,  215  ;  withdraws  to  Dub- 
lin and  assembles  a  parliament, 

.  215;  confiscates  lands  of  Wil- 
liam's adherents,  215;  sends  a 
force  against  Enniskillen,  219; 
defeated  by  William  in  the  battle 
of  the  Boyne,  220-222  ;  embarks 
for  France,  223. 

Johannes  Scotus  Erigena,  82. 

John,  Prince,  later  King,  Lord  of 
Ireland,  lands  with  army  at 
Waterford,  105;  defeated,  105; 
becomes  King  of  England,  in; 
lands  with  army  at  Cape  Crook, 
112;  divides  Ireland  into  twelve 
counties,  112;  establishes  Nor- 
man law,  112. 

Jones,  Colonel,  governor  of  Dublin, 


defeats     Preston,     199 ;    defeats 
Ormond  at  Dublin,  201. 
Joyce,  Dr.,  379. 

Kavanagh,  Art  MacMurrogh,  rebels 
against  Statute  of  Kilkenny,  129  ; 
submits  to  Richard  II,  130  ;  de- 
feats the  English  at  Kells,  131  ; 
pursues  Richard  IPs  army 
through  Wicklow  Mts.,  132;  close 
of  career,  132-134;  his  meeting 
with  Gloucester,  picture,  133. 

Kavanagh,  Edward,  minister  of 
Portugal,  346. 

Kells,  Book  of,  85  ;  facsimile  of  a 
page  oi,  picture,  85. 

Kells,  St.  Columba  founds  monas- 
tery at,  57  ;  map,  53,  B3. 

Kelvin,  Lord,  369. 

Kenmare,  117;  map,  113,  B5. 

Kenmare  Bay,  landing  of  sons  of 
Milid  on  strand  of,  10;  location, 
map,  I,  map,  29,  A3. 

Keogh,  John,  his  plan  for  the  elec- 
tion of  Catholics  to  parliament, 
299,  300. 

Keogh,  Matthew,  executed,  280. 

Kerns,  157,  note. 

Kerry,  one  of  the  twelve  counties 
into  which  King  John  divided 
Ireland,  112;  map,  180,  D2. 

Kildare,  Garrett  Fitzgerald,  eighth 
(Great)  Earl  of,  lord  lieutenant, 
136,  139 ;  trial  of,  141 ;  again  made 
lord  lieutenant,  142  ;  defeats 
Burke  at  battle  of  Knockdoe,  142 ; 
invades  Munster,  and  is  badly  de- 
feated, 142;  death  of,  143. 

Kildare,  Garrett  Fitzgerald,  ninth 
Earl  of,  nominated  lord  lieuten- 
ant, r43  ;  called  to  England  and 
tried,  144;  returns  to  Ireland,  and 
is  reappointed  lord  lieutenant, 
144;  again  called  to  England  and 
tried,  145;  reappointed  lord  lieu- 
tenant, 145 ;  imprisonment  and 
death,  146. 

Kildare,  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  tenth 
Earl  of,  son  of  Garrett  Fitzgerald, 
called  "Silken  Thomas,"  146; 
lays  siege  to  Dublin,  146;  sur- 
renders to  Lord  Grey,  148. 

Kildare,  church  founded  by  St. 
Bridget  at,  53  ;  map,  53,  B3. 


INDEX 


403 


Kildare  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John 
divided  Ireland,  112;  outbreak  in, 
durin'g  the  Irish  Rebellion,  278  ; 
location,  map^  113,  E3  ;  map,  180, 
C5. 

Kilkenny,  confederation  of,  193 ; 
parliament  of,  194. 

Kilkenny  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John  di- 
vided Ireland,  112  ;  map,  180,  D4. 

Killala,  Humbert,  with  French 
army,  lands  at,  281 ;  map,  iSo,  B2. 

Killarney,  lake  of,  map,  29,  B3. 

Kincora,  75 ;  map,  53,  B2. 

King  John's  Q2iSX\Q,  picture,  119. 

King's  County  organized,  154;  map, 
180,  C4. 

Kinsale,  Spaniards  under  Aguila 
land  at,  173;  battle  of,  174; 
James  II  lands  at,  with  French 
force,  215;  surrenders  to  Wil- 
liam, 228. 

Knockdoe,  battle  of,  142 ;  map,  180, 

Knocknacloy,  hill  of,  196. 
Knox,  Major-General,  351- 

Laegaire,  son  of  Niall,  king  for 
thirty  years,  40 ;  visited  by  St. 
Patrick,  49. 

Lagan  River,  171 ;  map,  180,  B5. 

Lake,  General,  government  com- 
mander, takes  Wexford,  280, 

Lally,  governor  at  Pondicherry,  346. 

Lambay  Island,  plundered  and 
burned  by  the  Norsemen,  67  ;  lo- 
cation, map,  I  ;  map,  29,  C2, 

Land  Bill,  Gladstone's,  its  provi- 
sions and  benefits,  327,  328. 

Land  Court,  327, 

Land  League,  formation  and  ob- 
jects, 325,  326. 

Landen,  Sarsfield  killed  at,  340  ; 
map,  247,  Fi. 

Landlords,  condition  of,  314  ;  effect 
of  Encumbered  Estates  Court 
Act  on,  314,  315;  "  Ribbonmen  " 
and  "  Tenants'  League  "  formed 
against,  315,  316;  effect  of  Land 
Purchase  Acts  on,  324,  336. 

Land  Purchase,  principle  of,  324, 
325 ;  first  Land  Purchase  Act, 
329  ;  second  Land  Purchase  Act, 


330;  third  Land  Purchase  Act, 
332  ;  Wyndham's  Land  Purchase 
Act,  334,  335  ;  success  of,  335. 

Land  system,  evils  of,  294,  296. 

Languedoc,  map,  247,  E3. 

Larne,  Edward  Bruce  with  army 
lands  at,  118;  map,  113,  F2. 

Lauzun,  French  general,  225  ;  re- 
tires to  Galway  with  troops,  225. 

Lee  River,  map,  180,  E3. 

Leinster,  one  of  the  four  early 
kingdoms,  28  ;  plundered  by  Nor- 
mans, 102  ;  condition  of,  between 
1216-1315,  115;  Geraldine  rebel- 
lion in,  161  ;  O'Neill's  rebellion 
in,  170  ;  devastated  by  Mountjoy, 
172,  173;  confiscation  in,  184; 
churches  destroyed  in,  281  ;  lo- 
cation, map,  29,  C2 ;  map,  180, 
C4,  Ds. 

Leitrim,  one  of  the  counties  into 
which  Connaught  was  divided  in 
1565,  159;  viap,  180,  B3. 

Leix,  189;  map,  113,  D4. 

Liffey  River,  70  ;  map,  53,  B3 ;  map, 
180,  C5. 

Limerick,  captured  by  Ireton,  204, 
205  ;  retreat  of  the  Irish  troops 
to,  from  the  Boyne,  222 ;  first 
siege  of,  225-228 ;  condition  of, 
226 ;  second  siege  of,  223-235 ; 
treaty  of,  235,  236;  its  violation, 
239,  240;  location,  map,  113,  C4; 
map,  180,  D3. 

Limerick,  in  Charles  II's  time,  pic- 
ture, 205  ;  to-day,  picture,  234. 

Limerick  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John 
divided  Ireland,  112;  location, 
map,  53,  B2  ;  map,  180,  D3. 

Lindisfarne,  monastery  of,  founded, 
62  ;  map,  247,  D. 

Lisburn  surrenders  to  Cromwell, 
202;  map,  169,  E2. 

Lismore,  81;  map,  113,  D4;  map, 
247,  Cr. 

Livonia,  map,  247,  I. 

Local  Government  Act,  333. 

Londonderry,  cathedral  of,  picture, 
216;  town-house  2X,  picture,  218. 

Londonderry,  map,  180,  B5. 

Longford  County,  formed  out  of 
Annaly  in  1565,  159;  map,  180, 
C4. 


404 


INDEX 


Louth  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John  di- 
vided Ireland,  112;  map,  180,  C5. 

Lucas,  Charley,  attempts  to  recover 
lost  rights  of  Parliament,  258 ; 
efforts  toget  Octennial  Bill  passed, 
260. 

Ludlow,  General  Edmund,  succeeds 
Ireton,  205. 

Lundy,  Colonel,  made  governor  of 
Derry,  214;  forced  to  take  oath 
of  allegiance  to  William  and 
Mary,  215  ;  suspected  of  treachery 
and  leaves  Ireland,  216. 

Lusk,  plundered,  69  ;   map^  53,  B3. 

Lugaid,  son  of  Laegaire,  40. 

Luther,  Martin,  150. 

Luxeuil,  80 ;  map,  247,  F2. 

Maca,  Queen,  20;  hill  of,  20. 

McCarthy,  Justin,  Lord  Mount- 
cashel,  340,  345. 

McCormac,  Sir  William,  369. 

MacDonald,  John  A.,  367. 

MacUonnells,  of  Rathlin  Island, 
attacked  by  Croft,  155;  attacked 
by  Shane  O'Neill,  158. 

MacDurnan,  Book  of,  86. 

McGee,  Thomas  D'Arcy,  367,  368. 

MacMahon,  Marshal,  on  horseback, 
picture,  342  ;  early  history  of,  342  ; 
his  services  to  the  French,  343 ; 
Irishmen  in  the  French  Republic 
during  the  presidency  of,  343,  344. 

McManus,  death  of,  318. 

MacMurroghjDermot,  king  of  Lein- 
ster,  banished,  96;  brings  the 
Normans  to  Ireland,  96,  97;  at- 
tacks Wexford,  97  ;  takes  Water- 
ford,  98  ;  death  of,  98. 

Magenta,  343;  77iap,  247,  F2. 

Maguire,  ally  of  Hugh  O'Neil,  166, 
168. 

Mahon,  brother  of  Brian  Boru,  de- 
feated by  Norsemen,  72. 

Mahony,  wins  victories  for  the 
French  in  Sicily,  341. 

Malachi,  the  Great,  72 ;  captures 
Norsemen  at  Dublin,  73;  defeats 
king  of  Leinster,  74;  overpowered 
by  Brian  Boru,  74 ;  aids  Brian 
Boru  in  battle  with  the  king  of 
Leinster,  76;  again  High  King, 
87. 


Malachias,  Archbishop,  his  good 
qualities,  91,  92. 

Malplaquet,  341  ;  tnap,  247,  Ei  . 

Maps,  Path  of  Ireland's  Early  In- 
vaders, I  ;  Pagan  Ireland,  29; 
Plan  of  Tara,  31  ;  Places  men- 
tioned in  Irish  History  from  In- 
troduction of  Christianity  to  1 100, 
53;  Ireland  with  some  of  the 
ancient  Earldoms  and  Dukedoms, 
113;  Places  mentioned  in  Irish 
History  dufing  the  wars  after 
1582,  169;  Political  Divisions  of 
Ireland,  1600-1900,  180;  Europe 
with  places  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  Irish  History,  247. 

Marianus  Scotus,  82. 

Marisco,  Geoffrey,  his  part  in  the 
"  War  of  Kild'are,"  115. 

Marshall,  Richard,  murdered,  115. 

Martial  Continuation  Act,  293. 

Mary,  Queen,  effect  of  her  reign  on 
Ireland,  153,  154. 

Mask,  Lake,  2  ;  map,  29  B  2 ;  mapy 
180,  C  2. 

Matthew,  Father,  crusade  of,  306. 

Maynooth,  college  of,  founded  by 
English  government,  276;  in  1821, 
picture,  303. 

Maynooth,  siege  of,  147;  ynap,  180, 
C5. 

Mayo,  one  of  the  counties  into  which 
Connaught  was  divided  in  1565, 
159;  map,  180,  C2. 

Meagher,  General,  what  the  Hon. 
Francis  Lawley  says  of,  354,  355. 

Meath  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
countiesestabUshed  by  King  John, 
112;  condition  of  between  1216 
and  131 5,  1 1 5  ;  divided  into  Meath 
and  West  Meath  by  Henrv  VIII, 
152  ;  outbreak  in,  during  the  Irish 
Rebellion,  278;  location,  w^/,  180, 
C5. 

Meath,  kingdom  of,  formation  of, 
28  ;  map,  29,  C2. 

Medb,  Queen,  22  ;  defeated  by  Cu- 
culaind,  23 ;  defeated  by  Conco- 
bar  at  Battle  of  Gairec,  24. 

Meeting  of  Art  MacMurrogh  Ka- 
vanagh  and    Gloucester,  picture, 

133- 
Milan,  81 ;  map,  247,  F2. 
Milesians,  invade  Ireland,  10;   de- 


INDEX 


405 


feat  De  Dananns  at  Tailten,  10; 
early  life  of,  14-16;  laws  of,  16; 
growth  into  a  tribe,  17. 

Minorca  Island,  map,  247,  E3. 

Missions,  of  Columba,  ^9;  of  Col- 
umbanus,  80,  81  ;  of  Ciallus,  80; 
of  Marianus  Scotus,  82. 

Mitchel,  John,  advocates  total  sep- 
aration from  England,  309. 

Mog  Nuadat,  29. 

Moira,  battle  of,  64;  map,  53,  A3. 

Molaise,  founds  religious  settlement 
on  Devenish  Island,  56. 

Moloney,  Sir  Cornelius,  369.    ' 

Molyneux,  William,  book  of,  de- 
stroyed, 254. 

Monaghan,  one  of  the  seven  coun- 
ties into  which  Perrott  divided 
Ulster,  165 ;  besieged  by  Hugh 
O'Neill,  167;  map,  180,  B5. 

Monasterboice,  High  Cross  of,  pie- 
hire,  55;  school  founded  at,  55; 
fnap,  53,  B3. 

Monastic  orders  and  abbeys,  120- 
122;    dispersed    and    destroyed, 

Monck,  Lord,  368. 

Montgomery,  General  Richard,  351. 

"  Moon    Lighters,"    secret   societv, 

328. 
Moore,    Thomas,    first    nineteenth 

century    Irish    writer,    374-375 ; 

piehire,  374. 
Mornington,      Garrett      Wellesley, 

Earl  of,  his  career,  360. 
Mortimer,   Roger,  Earl    of    March, 

left    in    authority   over    Ireland, 

131  ;  killed  at  Kells,  132. 
Mountcashel,     Justin      McCarthy, 

Lord,  340,  345. 
Mountjoy,  Lord,  lord  lieutenant  of 

Ireland,  172;  devastates  Leinster, 


[72,  17: 


larches  north  and  de- 


vastates Ulster,  173;  besieges 
Spaniards  at  Kinsale  and  is 
hemmed  in  by  O'Neill  and  O'Don- 
nell,  174 ;  defeats  O'Neill  and 
O'Donnell,  174. 

Mountjoy,  Lord.  See  Gardiner, 
Luke. 

Moville,  St.  Finnian  establishes 
school  at,  56;  map,  53,  A4. 

Moylan,  Stephen,  briga'dier-general, 
351. 


Muireadac,  King,  39. 

Mulholland,  Rosa,  378. 

Munro,  Robert,  192;  prepares  to  be- 
gin campaign  against  Irish  under 
O'Neill,  195;  intercepted,  196; 
attacks  O'Neill  at  Eenburb,  196  ; 
defeaied  and  forced  back  into  the 
river,  197  ;  flees  to  Carrickfergus. 
198. 

Munster,  one  of  the  four  early  king- 
doms, 28;  troubles  in,  during  the 
13th  century,  117;  Geraldine  re- 
bellion in,  161  ;  O'Neill's  rebel- 
lion in,  170;  devastated  by  Carew, 
172  ;  failure  of  the  plantation  in, 
181 ;  confiscation  of,  by  Went- 
worth,  1S6  ;  devastated  by  Crom- 
well, 204;  location,  juap,  29,  Bi ; 
map,  180,  D2. 

Murphy,  Father  John,  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  Irish  Rebellion  in 
Wexford,  279;  executed,  280. 

Murphy,  Father  Michael,  280. 

Names,  Irish,  derivation  of,  380-389. 

Namur,  siege  of,  340;  map,  247, 
Fr. 

Neagh,  Lough,  map,  53,  A3;  map, 
180,  B5. 

Netherlands,  map,  247,  Fi. 

Newgrange,  pyramid  at,  picture, 
4;  plan  of  chambers  in  pyramid, 
picture,  5. 

New  Ross,  battle  fought  at,  279 ; 
map,  169,  E4. 

Newry,  fort,  taken  by  Phelim 
O'Neill,  191 ;  surrenders  to  Crom- 
well, 202  ;  location,  wrt'/,  169,  E2. 

Newtonbarry,  attacked  by  insur- 
gents in  the  Irish  Rebellion,  279. 

Niall,  of  the  Nine  Hostages,  son  of 
Eocaid,  39. 

Niall,  son  of  Aed,  72. 

Norman  Castles,  108-110. 

Norman  knight  and  foot-soldier, 
picture,  99. 

Norman  Law,  112;  condition  in 
14th  century,  127-129. 

Normandy,  iii;  map,  247,02. 

Normans,  invade  Ireland  under 
Strongbow,  96-98  ;  under  Llenry 
II,  99,  100  ;  who  they  were,  loi  ; 
their  conquest  of  Britain  !oi  ; 
their  government  in  Irelana,  102- 


406 


INDEX 


105  ;  under  Strongbow,  102,  103 ; 
under  De  Burgo,  104,  105;  under 
De  Courcy,  106;  their  genius  for 
fortification,  108 ;  defend  their 
position  in  Ireland  with  castles, 
108-1 10 ;  their  armor  and  disci- 
pline, no.  III  ;  their  system  of 
law  introduced,  1 1 2- 1 1 5 ;  defeated 
by  Bruce,  118-120;  condition  of, 
after  Bruce's  invasion,  120;  their 
feuds  with  the  English,  125. 

Norris,  Sir  John,  lands  in  Ireland 
with  army,  t66;  plans  campaign 
against  d'Neill  and  his  followers, 
and  takes  Portmore,  168;  killed 
at  battle  of  Drumflugh,  168. 

Norsemen,  character  of  invasions  of, 
66,  67  ;  Lambay  plundered  and 
burned  by,  67  ;  attacks  on  lona, 
Innismurray,  Connemara,  and 
Howth,  67 ;  Downpatrick  at- 
tacked by,  68  ;  defeated  by  Cair- 
bre,  69 ;  raid  on  Armagh,  69 ; 
raid  on  Clondalkin,  70  ;  defeated 
at  Dublin,  70;  fortify  Cork,  71  ; 
defeated  by  King  Aed  in  S53,  71 ; 
defeat  Brian  Boru  and  Mahon, 
72  ;  defeated  by  Brian  Boru  at 
Sulcoit,  72;  driven  from  Dublin 
by  Malachi  the  Great,  73.  See 
also  Danes. 

North,  Lord,  recommends  the  resto- 
ration of  free  trade,  263. 

North  Channel,  wa/,  180,  A5. 

North  Sea,  map,  247,  Ei. 

Northern  Mag  Tured,  battle  of,  3. 

"  Northern  Whig  Club,"  273. 

Nuadat,    leader    of    the    De    Da- 


Oates,  Titus,  211. 

O'Brien,  Daniel,  340. 

O'Brien,  Donall,  king  of  Thomond, 
defeats  Strongbow  at  Thurles, 
103;  defeats  Prince  John's  army, 
105. 

O'Brien,  Judge  Morgan  J.,  357. 

O'Brien,  Murketagh,  son  of  Tur- 
logh,  88  ;  leaves  throne  and  en- 
ters a  monastery,  92, 

O'Brien,  Turlogh,  grandson  of  Brian 
Boru,  88. 

O'Connell,  Daniel,  speech  of,  about 
Union  scheme,  287  ;  picture,  288; 


early  history  of,  288,  289  ;  ef- 
forts of,  toward  emancipation, 
297;  forms  "Catholic  Associa- 
tion," 298 ;  opposes  Vesey  Fitzger- 
ald's election  to  parliament,  300; 
becomes  lawful  member  of  the 
English  parliament,  301 ;  efforts  of, 
to  have  parliament  abolish  tithe 
system,  306;  efforts  toward  repeal 
of  Union  Act,  307  ;  arrest  of,  308  ; 
attitude  toward  the  "  Young  Ire- 
land Party,"  309;  death  of,  309, 
310  ;  his  monument  at  Glasnevin, 
picture,  309. 

O'Connor,  Charles,  distinguished 
antiquarian,  258. 

O'Conor,  Phelim,  seizes  throne  of 
Connaught,  116. 

O'Conor,  Phelim,  the  younger,  118; 
joins  Bruce  ;  defeated  and  killed 
at  Athenry,  119. 

O'Conor,  Roderick,  son  of  Turlogh 
O'Conor,  93  ;  attacks  Norsemen 
in  Dublin,  93 ;  first  great  civil 
assembly  called  by,  94 ;  calls  as- 
semblyto  settle  boundary  dispute, 
95  ;  besieges  Dublin,  99. 

O'Conor,  Turlogh,  becomes  High 
King,  92. 

Octennial  Bill,  259. 

O'Donnell,  Duke  of  Tetuan,  345. 

O'Donnell,  Godfrey,  defeats  Fitz- 
gerald at  Credran  and  O'Neill  at 
the  Swilly,  116. 

O'Donnell,  Hugh.  See  Tyrconnell, 
Earl  of. 

O'Donnell,  Hugh  Roe.  See  Tyrcon- 
nell, Earl  of. 

O'Donnell,  Rory.  See  Tyrconnell, 
Earl  of. 

O'Dwyer,  commander  of  Belgrade, 
346. 

Offaly,  map,  113,  D3. 

Oilioll,  son  of  Dati,  40. 

Oirgialla  (Oriel),  map,  113,  E2. 

Oldbridge,  220;  map,  169,  E3. 

"  (Jld  Ireland  Party,"  308. 

Old  Irish,  one  of  the  four  parties  in 
Ireland  in  the  early  part  of  17th 
century,  192  ;  Owen  Roe  O'Neill 
becomes  leader  of,  193. 

"  Old  natives,"  receive  a  portion  of 
Ulster  from  James  I,  1S2. 

O'Leary,  John,  yj^. 


INDEX 


407 


O'Loughlin,  chief  of  the  family  of 
Niall,  89 ;  leaves  throne  and  en- 
ters a  monastery,  92. 

O'Loughlin,  Murketagh,  king  of 
Ulster,  marches  against  Dublin 
and  is  successful,  93 ;  death  of,  94. 

O'Mahony,  Fenian  leader,  318 ;  holds 
convention  in  Chicago,  319. 

O'Moore,  of  Leix,  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  Irish  Rebellion,  189. 

O'Neill,  Conn.   See  Tyrone,  Earl  of. 

O'Neill,  Count  de  Tyrone,  his  ac- 
count of  the   Irish  in   Portugal, 

345- 

O'Neill,  Count  Santa  Monica,  tutor 
of  King  Don  Carlos,  346. 

O'Neill,  Donall,  118. 

O'Neill,  Hugh.  See  Tyrone,  Earl  of. 

O'Neill,  Hugh,  nephew  of  Owen 
Roe  O'Neill,  defeat  by  Cromwell 
at  Clonmel,  204. 

O'Neill,  Matthew,  son  of  Conn 
O'Neill,  made  baron  of  Dungan- 
non,  with  right  to  succeed  to  fa- 
ther's titles,  152;  struggles  with 
his  brother  Shane  for  father's  ti- 
tles, 155,  156;  murdered  by  allies 
of  Shane  O'Neill,  156. 

O'Neill,  Owen  Roe,  chosen  leader 
of  the  Irish  Rebellion,  190;  abil- 
ity of,  190;  picture,  190;  takes 
command  of  the  Old  Irish,  193  ; 
intercepts  Munro,  196;  position 
of  his  army  at  the  battle  of  Ben- 
burb,  196;  defeats  Munro  at  bat- 
tle of  Benburb,  197  ;  extent  of  his 
victory,  198  ;  success  of,  198,  199  ; 
death  of,  203. 

O'Neill,  Sir  Phelim,  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  Irish  Rebellion, 
189;  execution  of,  206. 

O'Neill,  Shane.  See  Tyrone,  Earl  of. 

Oona  Water,  196. 

"  Orangemen,"  Protestant  society, 
276. 

Orde,  Chief  Secretary,  prepares 
commerce  bill,  271. 

O'Reilly,  Count  Alexander,  his  ser- 
vices to  Austria  and  Spain,  345. 

O'Reilly,  John  Boyle,  life  of,  356; 
quotation  from  his  writings,  356  ; 
picture,  357. 

Ormond,  mcip,  113,  D4. 

Ormond,    Earl   of,  in    the    time  of 


Queen  Elizabeth,  160;  takes  sides 
with  the  English  against  the  Ger- 
aldine  rebellion,  i6r. 

Ormond,  James  Butler,  Duke  of, 
appointed  lord  lieutenant  in  1644, 
194 ;  hands  Dublin  over  to  par- 
liamentarian army  and  flees  to 
France,  19S  ;  returns  to  Ireland, 
199;  proclaims  Charles  liking, 
201  ;  defeated  by  Colonel  Jones 
at  Dublin,  201. 

Ormond,  James  Butler,  second 
Duke  of,  appointed  lord  lieuten- 
ant in  1704,  242  ;  picture,  242. 

Ormond,  Pierre  Roe  Butler,  Earl 
of,  143;  made  lord  lieutenant, 
144  ;  territory  of,  invaded  by  Gar- 
rett Fitzgerald,  145;  directed  to 
enforce  the  Act  of  Supremacy  in 
Ireland,  151. 

O'Rorke,  Sir  George,  369. 

Orsay,  map,  247,  E2. 

Ossin,  the  poet,  son  of  Find,  35, 
36- 

Ossory,  map,  113,  D4. 

Ostend,  345  ;  viap,  247,  Ei. 

O'SuUivan,  Donall,  chief  of  Bear 
and  Bantry,  defeated  by  Carew 
at  Dunboy  Castle,  176  ;  his  rharch 
north,  176. 

O'Toole,  Archbishop,  98,  99. 

Oudenarde,  341  ;  map,  247,  Ei. 

Oulart,  279. 

Oxford,  map,  247,  Di. 

Pagan  Ireland,  map,  29. 

"Pale,  The,"  126;  colonists  leave, 
127;  condition  within,  136;  loca- 
tion, map,  180,  C5. 

Paris,  map,  247,  E2. 

Parliament  of  1541,  152. 

Parliamentarians,  Dublin  in  the 
hands  of,  198 ;  England  com- 
pletely in  power  of,  2Co;  defeat 
Ormond,  201  ;  Ireland  virtually 
in  power  of,  204. 

Parnell,  Charles  Stewart,  picture, 
325;  his  interest  in  Land  League, 
325,326;  parliamentary  party  of, 
326  ;  arrest  of,  327  ;  Gladstone's 
agreement   with,  328 ;    death  of, 

332- 
Parnell,  Sir  John,  chancellor  of  the 
exchequer,  286. 


4o8 


INDEX 


Path  of  Ireland's  early  invaders, 
map,  I. 

Patriotic  Party,  254;  secures  the 
withdrawal  of  the  patent  for  coin- 
ing money,  256,  257  ;  Octennial 
Bill  passed  through  efforts  of, 
259,  260;  greatly  strengthen  their 
power  under  Townshend,  260 ; 
their  determination  to  free  their 
parliament  from  Poynings'  Law, 
etc.,  264. 

Pavia,  map,  247,  F2. 

Peel,  Sir  Robert,  introduces  Catho- 
hc  Emancipation  bill,  300;  picUire 
of,  313  ;  repeals  Corn  Laws  and 
opens  Ireland  to  free  trade,  313. 

"  Peep-o'-day  Boys,"  secret  society, 
272. 

Penal  Laws,  240,  241,  242-245  ;  en- 
forcement of,  245. 

Perrott,  Sir  John,  appointed  lord 
lieutenant  by  Queen  Elizabeth, 
164;  policy  of,  164;  arouses  ha- 
tred of  the  O'Donnells  by  im- 
prisoning Hugh  Roe,  165 ;  di- 
vides Ulster  into  seven  counties, 
165. 

Pilltown,  map,  180,  D4. 

Pitt,  William,  the  younger,  his 
efforts  to  get  Orde's  Bill  passed  ; 
his  attempts  to  remedy  trade 
evils,  271;  picture,  283;  his 
scheme  to  unite  the  English  and 
Irish  parliaments,  2S3 ;  entrusts 
his  scheme  to  the  secretary  and 
lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland,  284; 
brings  forward  Union  scheme  in 
English  parliament,  and  is  op- 
posed by  Sherman  and  Foster, 
286. 

Places  mentioned  in  Irish  history 
from  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity to  HOC,  map,  53. 

Places  mentioned  in  Irish  history 
during  the  wars  after  1582,  map, 
169. 

Plantations,  system  of,  begun  under 
Edward  VI,  179;  evils  of,  180; 
first  attempt  at  plantation  in  1 547, 
180  ;  second  attempt  at  planta- 
tion in  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  iSo; 
failure  to  plant  Munster,  i8i  ; 
plantation  of  Ulster  by  James  I, 
182,  183. 


Plunket,  Sir  Horace,  head  of  De- 
partment   of     Agriculture,    336, 

Plunket,  W.  C,  denounces  "  system 
of  black  corruption,"  285. 

Poland,  map,  247,  Hi. 

Ponsonby,  263  ;  speaks  to  the  Irish 
parliament  against  the  Union, 285. 

Poor  Law  Act,  305. 

Portmore,  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell 
seizes,  166  ;  retaken  by  Lord 
Borough,  1 68  ;  location,  map,  169, 
E2. 

Poynings,  Sir  Edward,  lord  lieuten- 
ant, 139,  140. 

Poynings'  Law,  139;  its  provisions, 
140;  results  of,  140,  141. 

Prague,  map,  247,  Gi. 

Presbyterian  meeting-house  at  Dun- 
gannon,  pictjtre,  265. 

Presbyterians,  one  of  the  four  par- 
ties in  Ireland  in  1642,  192  ;  de- 
feated at  Benburb,  196  ;  side  with 
Charles  II,  in  1649,  -Oi  ;  Act  of 
Uniformity  enforced  against,  210. 

Preston,  one  of  the  leaders  in  the 
Irish  rebellion,  194;  jealousy  of, 
198;  defeated  by  parliamenta- 
rian army,  199. 

Protestants,  their  beginning  under 
Luther,  150;  established  in  Ire- 
land by  Edward  VI,  153;  fa- 
vored by  Charles  II,  208-211; 
take   sides  against  James  II,  214. 

Protestantism,  its  origin,  150;  im- 
posed on  England  and  Ireland  by 
Henry  VIII,  151  ;  enforced  in 
Ireland  by  Elizabeth,  154. 

Puritans,  one  of  the  four  parties  in 
Ireland  in  the  early  part  of  the 
17th  century,  192. 

Pyramids,  Irish,  5. 

Queen's  County,  organized,  154  ; 
outbreak  in,  during  the  Irish  Re- 
bellion, 278;  map,  180,  C4. 

Quoyle  River,  68  ;  map,  53,  A3. 

Rachlin  Island,  156;  map,  180,  A  5. 
"  Rackrents,"  250. 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  18 r. 
"  Rapparees,"    207  ;    plunder    Eng- 
lish settlers,  229. 
Rathmines,  201. 


INDEX 


409 


Rebellion,  Hugh  O'Neill's,  Port- 
more  taken,  166,  167;  battle  of 
Drumflugh,  16S  ;  battle  of  Yellow 
Ford,  168;  height  of,  170;  at- 
tempts of  Mountjoy  to  defeat 
O'Neill,  172. 

Rebellion,  Irish,  1641-1649  ;  causes, 
179;  plans  for,  189;  Owen  Roe 
O'Neill  chosen  leader  of,  190; 
outbreak  of,  190;  battle  of  Ben- 
burb,  196-198;  end  of,  198,  199. 

Rebellion,  Irish,  1798;  causes  of, 
269-278  ;  outbreak  of,  278  ;  pro- 
gress of,  in  Wexford,  278-280 ; 
end  of,  281, 

Ree,  Lough,  107;  map,  113,  D3 ; 
map,  180,  C3. 

Reformation,  inaugurated  by  Mar- 
tin Luther,  150;  Henry  VIII's 
interest  in,  150,  151  ;  forced  upon 
Ireland,  151  ;  Edward  VI's 
method  of  promoting,  153  ;  en- 
forced by  Queen  Elizabeth,  154. 

Regensburg,  7nap,  247,  G2. 

Renunciation,  Act  of,  267. 

Repeal,  Act  of,  267. 

Repeal  Association,  founded  by 
O'Connell,  307. 

Revolution  of  1688,  212. 

Rhine  River,  i7iap,  247,  Fi. 

Riada,  his  conquest  in  Britain,  29. 

"  Ribbonmen,"  315. 

Richard  II,  lands  at  Waterford, 
130 ;  his  second  expedition  to 
Ireland,  132 ;  marches  through 
Wicklow  Alountains  pursued  by 
Art  MacMurrogh,  132 ;  returns 
to  England,  132. 

Riga,  map,  247,  I. 

Roberts,  \  ord  Frederick,  picture, 
363  ;  career  of,  363,  364. 

Roche,  James  Jeffrey,  his  life  of 
O'Reilly,  356. 

Rolleston,  T.  W.,  378. 

Rome,  tnap,  247,  G3. 

Roscommon,  one  of  the  counties 
into  which  Connaught  was  di- 
vided in  1565,  159  ;  jTiap,  180,  C3. 

Rosen,  Marshal,  at  Derry,  217. 

Ross,  Major  General,  quotation 
from  Cornwallis'  letter  to,  287. 

Round  towers,  their  purpose  and 
use,^  70. 

Royalists,  one  of  the  four  parties  in 


Ireland  in  the  early  part  of  the 
17th  century,  192  ;  one  of  the  two 
great  parties  in  the  time  of  Crom- 
well, 201. 

Russell,  Lord,  chief  justice  of  Eng- 
land, 364. 

Russell,    George,    Irish   poet,    377, 

Russell,  T.  W.,  M.  P.,  quotation 
from  writing  of,  in  regard  to  Irish 
emigration,  311,  312. 

St.  Bernard,  121. 

St.  Bernard  Pass,  tnap,  247,  F2. 

St.  Bridget,  early  life,  52,  53  ;  founds 
church  at  Kildare,  53. 

St.  Buite,  founds  school  at  Monas- 
terboice,  56. 

St.  Columba,  his  birth  and  early 
education,  57  ;  founds  monasteries 
of  Durrow  and  Kells,  57  ;  dis- 
pute of,  with  St.  Finnian  end- 
ing in  battle  of  Cooldrevin,  58  ; 
seeks  exile  in  lona,  58 ;  his  work 
among  the  Picts,  59 ;  returns  to 
Ireland,  59 ;  founds  school  at 
Drumcliff,  60;  character  of,  60, 
61. 

St.  Comgall,  founded  College  of 
Bangor,  56. 

St.  Dominick,  121. 

St.  Finnian,  founds  school  at  Mo- 
ville,  56 ;  his  dispute  with  St. 
Columba,  58  ;  his  school  at  Clo- 
nard,  57,  ^i. 

St.  P>ancis  of  Assisi,  121. 

St.  Gall   Monastery,  81  ;  map,  247, 

F2. 

St.  Kevin,  founds  church  and  school 
at  Glendalough,  56;  house  of, 
picture,  59. 

St.  Kieran  founds  religious  school 
at  Clonmacnoise,  56. 

St.  Patrick,  his  birth  and  training, 

41  ;  taken  captive  to  Ireland  and 
life  there,  42  ;  his  "  Confession," 

42  ;  returns  home,  43  ;  his  con- 
verts, 44;  generosity  of,  45;  first 
church,  48,-  his  journey  to  Tara, 
48-50;  establishes  church  at  Ar- 
magh, revises  the  Brehon  Laws, 
50;  death  of,  52. 

St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  in  1807, 
picttire,  321. 


410 


INDEX 


St.  Patrick  Island,  burned  by  Norse- 
men, 67. 

St.  Ruth,  General,  arrives  at  Limer- 
ick with  French  fleet,  230  ;  placed 
in  command  over  Sarsfield,  230 ; 
efforts  of,  to  continue  the  war, 
232  ;  retires  to  Aughrim  and  pre- 
pares to  resist  Ginkel  at  Galway, 
232  ;  killed  in  battle  of  Aughrim, 

^33' 
Saldanha,  Duchess  of,  a  Fitzgerald, 

346. 

Salisbury,  Lord,  policy  of,  329. 

Salzburg,  map,  247,  G2. 

Sardinia,  island  of,  map,  247,  F3. 

Sarsfield,  Patrick,  215,  223;  captures 
William's  siege-guns,  225,  226; 
picture,  226;  commands  cavalry  at 
battle  of  Aughrim,  233  ;  Limerick 
under  command  of,  233 ;  returns 
to  France,  235 ;  made  a  field- 
marshal,  340;  killed  at  battle  of 
Landen,  340. 

Saxony,  map,  247,  Gi. 

Schism  Act,  244. 

Schomberg,  Duke  of,  lands  at  Ban- 
gor with  army,  219;  takes  Car- 
rickfergus,  219;  follows  Jacobites 
to  Dundalk  and  encamps,  219; 
suffering  in  his  camp,  219;  takes 
Fort  Charlemont,  220;  killed  at 
the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  222. 

Schomberg,  the  younger,  221,  222. 

Schools,  in  Ireland,  55-63 ;  in  Scot- 
land, 62;  many  destroyed  by 
Norsemen,  68;  condition  of,  81- 
86;  system  of  national  schools 
inaugurated,  303,  304. 

Scotland,  foundation  of,   63;  map, 

247.  D. 

Scroope,  Sir  Stephen,  133. 

Secret  Societies,  "  Whiteboys," 
"  Camisards,"  "  Hearts  of  Oak," 
"Hearts  of  Steel,"  251;  "Dis- 
coverers," 184  ;  "  Wreckers," 
"Peep-o'-Day  Boys,"  272;  "De- 
fenders," "Orangemen,"  276; 
"  Ribbonmen,"  315;  "Moon 
Lighters,"  "  Invincibles,"  328. 

Sedan,  343  ;   map,  247,  E2. 

"  Servitors,"  receive  a  portion  of 
Ulster  from  James  I,  182. 

Settlement,  Act  of,  208;  James  II 
attempts  to  repeal,  211. 


Settlers'  houses  in  the  Ulster  Plan- 
tation, picture,  182. 

Shannon  River,  235 ;  map,  53,  B2 ; 
map,  180,  C3. 

Sheil,  Richard  Lalor,  picture,  298  ; 
aids  O'Connell  in  forming  Cath- 
olic Association,  298 ;  efforts  of, 
to  have  parliament  abolish  tithe 
system,  306. 

Sheridan,     Richard   Brinsley,    373, 

374- 
Sherman,  opposes  Pitt  in  English 

House  of  Commons,  286. 
Ships  relieving  Richard  II's  army 

on   the    Wicklow   coast,  picture, 

131- 

Shrine  of  St.  Patrick's  ^t\\,ptcture, 
48. 

Sicily,  map,  247,  G4. 

Sigerson,  Dora,  378. 

Sigerson,  George,  378. 

"  Silken  Thomas."  See  Kildare, 
tenth  Earl  of. 

Sixth  of  George  I,  255. 

Skiffington,  Sir  William,  145 ;  re- 
appointed lord  lieutenant,  147  ; 
takes  Maynooth,  147  ;  appointed 
to  represent  Henry  VIII  as  su- 
preme head  of  the  church  in  Ire- 
land, 151. 

Skreen,  hill  of,  33 ;  map,  53,  B3, 

Slane,  hill  of,  49;  map,  53,  B3;  map, 
169,  E3. 

Slaney  River,  map,  180,  D5. 

Slemi'sh  Mts.,  118;  map,  113  E2. 

Slieve  Felim  Mts.,  7nap,  169,  C4. 

Slieve  Mish,  St.  Patrick  a  captive 
in  the  woods  of,  42  ;  7nap,  53,  A3. 

Sligo,  surrenders  to  Ginkel,  233 ;  lo- 
cation, map,  53,  A2;  map,  169, 
C2. 

Sligo  Bay,  map,  t8o,  B3. 

Sligo  County,  one  of  the  counties 
into  which  Connaught  was  di- 
vided in  1565,  159;  location,  map, 
113,  C2  ;  map,  180,  B3. 

Smerwick  Harbor,  71 ;  map,  53,  Bi. 

Solmes,  Count,  left  in  command  of 
army  by  William,  228  ;  Kinsale 
and  Cork  surrendered  to,  22S. 

Southern  Mag  Tured,  battle  of,  3 ; 
7nap,  29,  B54. 

Spain,  Irish  in,  334,  335. 

Spear  H.ea.d,  picture,  39. 


INDEX 


411 


vSpencer,  Earl,  goes  to  Ireland  as 
lord  lieutenant,  328. 

Spenser,  Edmund,  181. 

Stark,  General  John,  351. 

Statute  of  Kilkenny,  128,  129. 

Stephens,  Fenian  leader,  318  ;  starts 
newspaper,  319  ;  captured  but 
escapes  to  France,  320. 

Sterne,  Laurence,  370. 

Stirling,  map,  247,  D. 

Stokes,  Whitley,  379. 

Strafford,  Earl  of,  going  to  execu- 
tion,/zV/7/7Y,  187.  aS>^  Wentvvorth, 
Thomas. 

Strangford  Lough,  map,  53,  A4. 

"  Strongbow."  See  De  Clare,  Rich- 
ard. 

Suir  River,  map,  180,  D4. 

Sulcoit,  Norsemen  defeated  by  Brian 
Boru  at,  72  ;  map,  53,  B2. 

Sullivan,  Sir  Arthur,  364. 

Sullivan,  Major  John,  storms  Fort 
William  and  Mary,  350. 

Sully,  map,  247,  E2, 

Summerhill,  map,  169,  E3. 

Supremacy,  act  of,  in  England  and 
Ireland,  151  ;  renewed  under 
Queen  Elizabeth,  154;  revival  of, 
in  reign  of  James  I,  iSi. 

Surnames,  Irish,  3S0-389. 

Surrey,  Earl  of,  made  lord  lieuten- 
ant, 144;  resigns,  144. 

Sustentation  Fund,  provided  for 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
when  disestablished,  322. 

Sweden,  map,  247,  G. 

Swift,  Jonathan,  leader  of  the  Patri- 
otic party,  255;  picture,  256; 
works  of,  370. 

Swilly,  Lough,  map,  180,  A4. 

Swilly  River,  116;  map,  113,  D2  ; 
map,  180,  B4. 

Switzerland,  map,  247,  F2. 

Sword  and  spear  head, //V/z/r^,  23. 

Sydney,  Lord,  calls  parliament  of 
1692,  237 ;  summoned  to  Eng- 
land, 240. 

Sydney,  Sir  Henry,  lord  lieutenant, 
his  expedition  through  Munster, 
160. 

Taafe,  Count,  346. 
Tailten,  De   Dananns   defeated  by 
Milesians  at,  10;  map,  29,  C2. 


Talbot,  Sir  John,  134. 

Talbot,  Richard.  See  Tyrconnell, 
Earl  of. 

Talbot,  Honorable  Thomas,  career 
of,  366. 

Tara,  28 ;  plan  of,  map,  31 ;  court 
of,  32;  hill  oi,  picture,  35';  St. 
Patrick  preaches  at,  48,  49 ;  loca- 
tion, 17lClp,  29,  C2. 

Tarentum,  map^  247,  H3. 

Teeling,  Bartholomew,  281. 

"Tenants'  League,"  formation  and 
demands  of,  316. 

Test  Act,  244. 

"  The  Nation,"  newspaper  founded 
in  1S42,  308. 

Thomond,  Count,  commander  at 
Languedoc,  346. 

Thomond,  87  ;  map,  113,  C4. 

Thompson,  General  William,  351, 

Three  Rocks,  279;  map,  169,  E4. 

Thurles,  Strongbow  defeated  at, 
103;  map,  113,  D4. 

Tigearnac,  his  Latin  history  of  Ire- 
land, 89. 

Tipperary,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John 
divided  Ireland,  112;  location, 
map,  113,  C4  ;  map,  180,  D4. 

Tireogain  (Tyrone  or  Tirowen), 
viap,  1 13,  D2. 

Tithes,  system  of,  153  ;  enforced  in 
1750,  250;  collectors  of,  272; 
struggle  over,  305,  306;  trans- 
ferred from  tenant  to  landlord, 
in  1838,  306. 

Tone,  Theobald  Wolfe,  condemns 
revolutionary  societies,  270  ;  pic- 
ture, 273  ;  founds  society  of 
"  United  Irishmen,"  273  ;  com- 
mits suicide,  281. 

Tone,  Matthew,  281. 

"  Tories,"  207. 

Torque  of  gold,  picture,  15. 

Tower  of  London,  id^  \  picture ,  109. 

Townshend,  lord  lieutenant,  260, 
forced  to  resign,  260. 

Tralee,  36  ;  map,  29,  B2. 

Trim,  surrenders  to  Cromwell,  203  ; 
map,  169,  E3, 

Trinity  College,  receives  grant  of 
land,  183. 

Tuam,  seat  of  one  of  the  four  arch- 
bishops, 92;  map,  113,  C3. 


412 


INDEX 


Tuatal,  grandson  of  Cairbre,  high 
king  for  eleven  years,  63. 

Tuatal  the  Legitimate,  27  ;  imposes 
Boruma  tribute  on  kings  of  Lein- 
ster,  28. 

Turin,  map,  247,  F2. 

Tynan,  Katherine,  378. 

Tyndall,  John,  369. 

Tyrconnell,  Hugh  O'Donnell,  Chief 
of,  defeats  Shane  O'Neill,  159. 

Tyrconnell,  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell, 
Earl  of,  imprisoned  by  Perrott, 
but  escapes,  165;  seizes  Port- 
more,  166;  defeats  Sir  Conyers 
Clifford  in  the  battle  of  "  The 
Yellow  Pass,"  171  ;  sets  out  to 
meet  the  Spaniards  and  is  inter- 
cepted by  Carew,  173;  besieges 
Mountjoy  at  Kinsale  but  is  put  to 
flight,  174;  goes  to  Spain  for 
aid  and  dies  there,  175. 

Tyrconnell,  Richard  Talbot,  Earl 
of,  made  earl  by  James  II,  211 ; 
appointed  lord  lieutenant,  211; 
tries  to  strengthen  James  II's 
position  in  Ireland,  213,  214; 
welcomes  James  II  to  Ireland, 
215;  duplicity  of,  223;  retires  to 
Galway  with  troops,  225  ;  follows 
James  II  to  France,  228;  picture, 
229 ;  returns  to  Ireland,  230,  evi- 
dence of  his  duplicity,  230  ;  death 
of,  233. 

Tyrconnell,  Rory  O'Donnell,  Earl 
of,  son  of  Hugh  Roe,  comes  to 
terms  with  Elizabeth,  177  ;  re- 
ceives title  of  earl,  178;  flees  to 
continent,  179  ;  death  of,  179. 

Tyrell's  Pass,  168  ;  fnap,  169,  D3. 

Tyrone,  one  of  the  seven  counties 
into  which  Perrott  divided  Ulster, 
165  ;  map,  180,  B4. 

Tyrone,  Conn  O'Neill,  Earl  of, 
head  of  first  Geraldine  League, 
148;  made  earl  by  Henry  VIH, 
152;  enticed  to  Dublin  and  im- 
prisoned, 155  ;  dies  in  captivity, 
156. 

Tyrone,  Hugh  O'Neill,  Earl  of,  son 
of  Matthew,  early  career  and  du- 
plicity of,  165,  166;  picture,  166; 
attacks  English  at  Cavan,  166; 
besieges  Monaghan,  167;  defeats 
Borough  at  battle  of  Drnmflngh, 


168  ;  attempts  to  take  Portmore, 
168  ;  position  of  his  army  at  Yel- 
low P'ord,  168,  169;  English  army 
routed  by,  170;  Earl  of  Essex  sent 
against,  171;  plan  formed  to  de- 
feat, 172  ;  sets  out  to  meet  Span- 
ish army,  173;  besieges  Mountjoy 
at  Kinsale,  but  is  obliged  to 
retreat,  174  ;  decides  to  close  the 
struggle,  176,  177;  receives  Eng- 
lish title  of  earl,  178 ;  flees  to 
continent,  179  •  death,  179. 
Tyrone,  Shane  O'Neill,  Earl  of, 
son  of  Conn  O'Neill,  struggles 
with  his  brother  Matthew  for  fa- 
ther's titles,  155,  156;  his  auto- 
graph, 155;  elected  on  the  death 
of  his  father  and  Matthew,  156, 
struggles  for  title  with  allies  of 
Matthew's  son,  and  gains  control 
of  all  Ulster,  156,  157  ;  called  to 
England  and  cordially  received 
by  Queen  Elizabeth,  157;  forced 
to  sign  severe  conditions,  returns 
to  Ireland  and  again  takes  up 
arms,  158;  his  right  to  bear  his 
title  admitted  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, 1 58  ;  makes  war  on  the  Mac- 
Donnells,  and  is  at  first  success- 
ful, 1 58  ;  defeat  and  death  of,  1 59  ; 
reputation  of,  159. 

Ulster,  one  of  the  four  early  king- 
doms, 28  ;  condition  of,  in  the 
I2th  century,  116;  divided  into 
seven  counties  by  Perrott,  165  ; 
devastated  by  Mountjoy  and 
Carew,  176;  plantation  of,  by 
James  I,  182,  183  ;  devastated  by 
Cromwell,  203,  204  ;  a  Protestant 
centre  in  1688,  213;  location,  w«/, 
29,  Ci  ;  map,  180,  B4,  B5. 

"  Undertakers,"  179  ;  lands  of 
O'Moore  and  O'Conor  confis- 
cated and  given  to,  180  ;  procla- 
mation made  by  Elizabeth  con- 
cerning, iSi  ;  portion  of  Ulster 
given  to,  by  James  I,  182. 

Uniformity,  Act  of,  its  requirements, 
1 54  ;  revival  of,  in  reign  of  James 
I,  181. 

Union,  Act  of,  conceived  by  William 
Pitt,  283  ;  presented  to  Irish  Par- 
liament by  Cornwallis,  285  ;  de- 


INDEX 


413 


feated  by  Irish  parliament,  285, 
286  ;  presented  to  English  parlia- 
ment by  Pitt,  286;  passed  by  the 
Irish  parliament,  289  ;  provisions 
of,  290 ;  results  of,  291  ;  efforts 
to  repeal,  307. 
"  United  Irishmen,"  objects  of,  273  ; 
insurrections  of,  276 ;  two  com- 
mittees of,  arrested  in  Belfast, 
277 ;  leaders  of,  betrayed  and 
arrested,  277,  278. 

Venables,  Colonel,  Parliamentarian 
leader,  204. 

Venice,  map,  247,  G2. 

Vinegar  Hill,  one  of  the  camps  of 
the  Irish  rebels  in  1798,  278;  bat- 
tle of,  280 ;  location,  map,  169, 
Ei. 

Volunteers,  armed  to  protect  Ire- 
land against  invasion,  262,  263  ; 
attempt  to  secure  f --ee  trade,  263 ; 
growth  of,  265;  pass  thirteen  re- 
solutions at  the  convention  at 
Dungannon,  266 ;  convention  of, 
in  Rotunda  at  Dublin,  270  ;  effect 
of  the  rejection  of  Flood's  reform 
bill  on,  270,  271. 

Wales,  map,  247,  Di. 

Wars  of  Meath  and  Kildare,  115. 

Wars  of  the  Roses,  effect  of,  on 
Ireland,  135. 

Waterford,  landing  of  Richard  II 
at,  130;  location,  map,  53,  B3 ; 
map,  169,  D4  ;   map,  180,  D4. 

Waterford  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John 
divided  Ireland,  112;  map,  180, 
D4. 

Wayne,  Anthony, //r/«r(?,  350;  life 
of,  350,  351. 

Wellesley.  See  Mornington,  Earl 
of,  and  Wellington,  Duke  of. 

Wellesley,  Richard,  Marquis  of,  life 
of,  360. 

Wellington,  Arthur  Wellesley,  Duke 
of,  favors  Catholic  emancipation, 
300;  career  of,  361  ;  picture,  361. 

Wentworth,  Thomas,  lord  lieuten- 
ant, 185  ;  calls  a  parliament  to 
ratify  the  "Graces,"  186;  confis- 
cates Connaught  and  Munster, 
186 ;  drills  and  arms  Irish  Cath- 


olics, 187  ;  destroys  wool  trade 
and  introduces  linen  manufacture, 
187  ;  recalled  to  London  and  be- 
headed, 1S8. 

West  Meath,  one  of  the  counties 
into  which  Henry  VIII  divided 
Meath,  152;  location,  map,  180, 
C4. 

Wexford,  attacked  by  Dermot  Mac- 
Murrogh,  97  ;  taken  by  Crom- 
well, 203;  desertion  of,  279;  lo- 
cation, map,  53,  B3  ;  map,  180, 
D5. 

Wexford  County,  one  of  the  twelve 
counties  into  which  King  John 
divided  Ireland,  112;  outbreak 
in,  during  the  Irish  Rebellion, 
278;  location,  map,  180,  D5. 

Whately,  Archbishop,  his  report  on 
the  poverty  of  the  Irish  people, 
304- 

"  Whig  club,"  273. 

"  Whiteboys,"  251,  272. 

White,  General  Sir  George,  364. 

Wicklow  County,  outbreak  during 
the  Irish  rebellion,  278 ;  map,  180, 

Wicklow  Mountains,  map,  180,  C5. 

Wicklow  gold  mines,  15  ;  map,  29, 
C2. 

William,  Prince  of  Orange,  lands  in 
Devonshire  to  take  possession  of 
the  English  throne,  212;  claim 
to  the  throne,  213;  attitude  of 
Irish  toward,  213;  Derry  pro- 
claims allegiance  to,  214  ;  sends 
supplies  and  soldiers  to  Derry, 
215;  sends  the  Duke  of  Schoni- 
berg  to  Ireland  with  an  army,  219; 
goes  to  Ireland,  220 ;  pensions 
Nonconformist  ministers,  220 ; 
defeats  James  II  in  the  battle  of 
the  Boyne,  220-222 ;  proclama- 
tion of,  223  ;  attacks  Athlone, 
223 ;  besieges  Limerick,  and  is 
obliged  to  retreat,  225-228 ;  re- 
turns to  England,  228 ;  leaves 
Ginkel  and  Count  Solmes  in  com- 
mand, 228  ;  ratifies  treaty  of  Lim- 
erick, 235  ;  makes  Ginkel  earl  of 
Athlone,  236;  rewards  followers 
with  grants  of  land,  236,  237. 

William  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne, 
picture,  221. 


414 


INDEX 


Williams,  Captain,  commander  of 
English  soldiers  at  Portmore, 
1 68;  capitulates  and  withdraws 
to  Dundalk,  170. 

'Windsor,  map,  247,  Di. 

Wolseley,  Sir  Garnet,  afterwards 
Viscount,  career  of,  364. 

Wolsey,  Cardinal,  enemy  of  the  ninth 
Earl'  of  Kildare,  143;  suggests 
Surrey  for  lord  lieutenant,  145; 
secures  the  overthrow  of  Kildare, 

145- 

"  Wreckers,"  Protestant  secret  so- 
ciety, 272  ;  insurrections  of,  276. 

Wyndham,  George,  chief  secretary 
for     Ireland,     334  ;     parliament 


passes    Land    Purchase   Act   of, 

334;  335- 
Wyse,  Mr.,  helps  in  the  formation 
of  the  Catholic  committee  in  1757, 
258. 

Yeats,  William  Butler,  376,  377. 
Yellow  Ford,  The  (At  Boy),  battle 

of,  168;  7Ha/>,  169,  E2. 
"  Yellow  Pass,  The,"  battle  of,  171. 
Yelverton,  265. 
York,   Richard  Plantagenet,  Duke 

of,  lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland,  134. 
Youghal,  College  of,  135;  map,  169, 

D5;  map,  180,  E4. 
"Young  Ireland  Party,"  308,  309. 


Electrotyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  ^r'  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


Date  Due 

^A'-|5'3b 

^ 

1 
i 

^ 

tSUilUIN    t/UL 


3  9031   01213167  8 


44471 


i)/3  9Vj,J-'75 


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